


A Fated Meet

by kaneshon



Series: True Pairs [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alpha Hatake Kakashi, Alpha Uchiha Sasuke, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arguing, Beta Umino Iruka, Beta Uzumaki Naruto, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Insecurity, M/M, Minor Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Romance, Soulmates, beta Sakura
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:14:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 36,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22506130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaneshon/pseuds/kaneshon
Summary: Sasuke, an Alpha who couldn't stand Omegas or their heats, and Naruto, a Beta with an Omega-recessive gene have been together since they were seventeen. Against all odds in a world where Alphas are meant to be with Omegas, they have been together for almost nine years. They were perfect. All but the fact that they have yet to marry or bond.When Sasuke meets his True Pair Omega one day, everything that they once knew starts to collapse. Everything the Omega is that Naruto is not, the pair finds themselves in a crossroad, torn between the love they have for each other and society plus biology dictating that an Alpha is meant to be with an Omega.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: True Pairs [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1617124
Comments: 83
Kudos: 533





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!
> 
> A/N: Hullo! This is my very first fan fiction about Sasuke and Naruto. Not even sure if this fan fiction is like 20000 years too late, but here it is nevertheless. Not going to lie, I'm super nervous to share this story. Mainly because I wrote this for fun and it's been...years. Literal years since I watched Naruto. For the sake of me wanting to save myself the headache of researching the ninja world, I decided that for my first try in this fandom, I'll just write it in a modern world. Don't come after me and my barely-average writing, please and thank you. 
> 
> I also found myself wanting to write them in the whole Alpha, Beta & Omega universe. This universe follows the whole True Pair stuff I expanded in a Merthur fan fiction I wrote. I'll give you a brief run down of what a True Pair here so you guys get an idea of what you're going to read!
> 
> True Pairs works something like a red-string of fate kinda thing. Or soulmates. In this universe, it happens usually between an Alpha or an Omega. When they meet, they feel this spark and whatnot and they become attached to each other before it develops into love. I say usually, but not always that the True Pair is between an Alpha and Omega. It can be between any status, but most of the time, people only ever hear about Alphas and Omegas. Bond between the True Pair is formed from the very moment they meet each other. However, they may choose to dissolve this bond if they want to. It depends on where this story takes place, but at least here in this fan fiction it's a little taboo. That's the gist of it. It takes place in the same universe as Merthur (if any of my readers here also reads Merthur). 
> 
> I just liked the idea of Alpha Sasuke and Beta Naruto since I don't see Alpha/Beta pairings often. And I want to explore that so. Again, I'm just writing this for fun. I don't know why I'm so nervous but, I worked on this for like four days straight listening to this one song over and over because it fits the mood. Nevertheless, enjoy what I wrote <3 If y'all still exist out there who likes reading SasuNaru, enjoy! Forgive me for the possible OOC and some changes in dynamics. I've tried to keep it as close as possible to what I remember. 
> 
> Well, okay, I'mma let you guys go and read this mess then. Enjoy again and-have fun? xoxox
> 
> Overflowing with regrets and the things I didn't say, What I've become when all's said and done - [Cigarettes - Carlie Hanson ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyTOHJW1PIE)

True Pairs were a rare phenomenon. Naruto was aware of the story. It was a chance meeting that not all Alphas or Omegas were lucky to find. But nevertheless, he knew they existed. He knew it was real. It was a great thing to happen to an Alpha and an Omega. There hadn’t been a case where a Beta was an Alpha or an Omega’s True Pair. That was why the Betas stuck together. Because at the end of the day, it was better to choose one own’s kind than to be with another that had their destined mate elsewhere. It was better than having to sit and wait for a love to end. 

Naruto didn’t believe in any of that. 

At least, he didn’t think he did. 

He had always thought that he wouldn’t let that kind of thing bother him. After all, he was confident that after spending so many years with his lover, nothing could truly ruin it. He couldn’t help but to think that his life was good so far. Love was love. He had a love he was happy with. Most of the time. 

He didn’t expect that to be challenged one day, though. 

He dismissed his students after he blew his whistle, successfully ending another day of gym classes and decided to head back to the teacher’s office. He glanced at his wrist watch, noting that he had a couple more hours to go before he could go home and prepare dinner for his beloved. A smile crossed his lips as he walked into the office, greeting the other teachers that he hadn’t managed to see this morning. 

He spotted Sakura at her desk, marking her papers with a frown on her lips. Feeling mischievous, he sneaked up to her and placed both hands on her shoulder. She didn’t react, simply sighing as she turned to glare at him. Naruto grinned, pulling his hands away to lean against the divider between the two desks, arms crossed. 

“You look tired,” he said, noting the bags under her eyes. 

“They do realise they’re in their senior year, right?” Sakura said, her left eye twitching. “That they should focus on their studies, especially on their college entrance exams?”

Ah, he would never get tired of his best friend yipping about her students. It was pure luck that Sakura kept being assigned to the worst class every year. He remembered one time she almost chocked herself after class, wanting to end her misery when a few of her students decided to imitate her every word during lessons. The students had gotten a stern warning from the disciplinary teacher at the end, but nevertheless, it was hilarious to listen to her grumbles. The once goody two shoes from high school was now teaching delinquents. 

What she didn’t know what that Naruto had heard some of her students liking her. If not, majority of them found her to be a better teacher than the rest who were assigned to them. Maybe it was because while Sakura would have tackled them to submission if she was allowed to, she never gave up on them. Never waved them off if they looked worried or stressed. She was a concerned teacher. One that sometimes sent other teachers glaring at her in envy due to students favouring her more. 

He had conveyed that to her one day while they were drunk and Sakura merely started to weep saying she loved each and every one of her students too. It was…a sight. 

Naruto simply smiled wider. “Hey, give them some slack.”

“Says you,” Sakura grumbled. “I wish they can do better. I know the term just started but come on!” She picked the current paper she was marking and showed it to the blond. “What the hell is this?”

It was a picture of Sakura in cartoon form breathing out fire. It was a cute drawing, he had to admit. Naruto couldn’t stifle the grin and yelped when she turned and stomped her foot over his. “Sakura! That hurts!”

“Just because you would do this in school doesn’t mean I have to deal with this,” the pink-haired woman said as she marked a huge cross on that person’s paper. 

A little intimidated, Naruto just nodded. It was then his phone chimed, indicating that he got a message. Pulling the device from his jogger pants, he smiled when he realised it was from Sasuke. His smile however slipped off his face when he read the content of the message. A sigh escaped his lips as he typed in a short response before shoving his phone back into his pants. He glanced at Sakura, smiling again when he saw the curious look on her face. 

“What?” he asked, unable to hold back from rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Is it from Uchiha?” Sakura said, leaning into her chair. 

There it was. That disapproval tone leaking from her words. He huffed a breath and took his seat, waving a dismissive hand at her. “It’s Sasuke, yes.”

“Did he cancel again?” she asked. 

Naruto’s fingers froze on their way to grab a pen. His smile stilted on his face before he glanced at her. Knowing that she saw through him, he dropped his hand on the table and nodded. “He said a last minute meeting came up.”

“Of course it did,” Sakura mumbled, going back to mark the papers. 

Not this again. He didn’t understand what was the problem between the two of them! He thought they were friends once, but now they could barely stand each other in the same room. It drove him mad. 

“For the last time,” Naruto said, throwing her a scowl. “He’s a busy man. You always find something to pick on him.”

“That’s because I never liked him,” Sakura groused. “He’s always been fishy.”

The blond-haired man rolled his eyes. He leaned and poked his best friend’s cheek, earning a swat that he managed to dodge. “He’s your friend too, Sakura. We’ve known each other since high school. I don’t get what’s this rivalry between you two.”

“He’s an Alpha,” Sakura said, tossing a candy wrapper at his face, ignoring his squawk of ‘no littering!’. “I hate Alphas.”

Naruto thought that was a little classist but he didn’t make a remark. The last time he questioned of her blatant dislike for an entire class, it had ended up with her knuckles in his face. Sakura never liked Sasuke and Naruto assumed it was to do with him being more just an Alpha. But he kept his mouth wisely shut on that matter. Even her other best friend, Ino had told her that not all Alphas were bad. He made a note to visit Ino and her family later. It had been a while since he had seen his friends from school. 

“Sasuke’s different,” he said, voice low. “He never treated anyone based on their secondary gender. You know that.”

“I do,” Sakura said before her green eyes met his blue ones. “But I still don’t trust him. How long have you been with him, Naruto? Where’s the bonding mark?”

Naruto winced at the burning question. And here it was, the other thing he hated being reminded of. Most of the time, he could brush the question off but lately, it had been a topic of stress to him. The bonding mark was a sensitive subject between the couple. It wasn’t that he didn’t want one. He did. He wanted to be Sasuke’s mate, but it was just wasn’t the right time. Even if they had been together for almost nine years since high school, it didn’t mean they had to get married now and be bonded. Besides…Naruto was a Beta. 

A bonding mark between an Alpha and Beta was…it was useless. It wasn’t like it would do anything but create a permanent scar. 

But, he would be lying if he wasn’t starting to get frustrated at the lack of attempt at one the older they grew. 

“We’re just waiting for the right time,” Naruto said, mumbling. 

Sakura scoffed. “It’s almost nine years since you guys got together. He hasn’t even introduced you to his family, yet. While you,” she said, jabbing a pen at his face. “Have brought him to meet Iruka and Kakashi and has even introduced him to all our other friends.”

That was true. He hadn’t even met Sasuke’s close knitted friends from college. It was weird, he admitted it. Sasuke always told him it was because his friends were weird. And that he preferred Naruto’s friends more. But the Beta couldn’t help but to think it might be because that the Alpha was an Uchiha. He had more at stake than Naruto did. So, he had let the Alpha do whatever he wanted as long as he came home to him at the end of the day. And still loved him like he usually did. 

Had it bothered Naruto though that he wasn’t that involved in Sasuke’s social life? Sure. Yes. It did bother him to an extent. And maybe, late at night, he would be left wondering if there was a reason why he wasn’t introduced to his friends or family yet. 

There would be lonely, painful thoughts of him not being good enough or the fact that he was a Beta and Sasuke was an Alpha being the problem floating in his mind whenever he was prodded by those worries. He tried to not let it get to him but it was getting harder and harder to shake these insecurities off the older they got. 

“I’m not bothered by it,” the Beta said at last, shrugging. A lie he had mastered. “It’ll happen one day.”

Sakura remained impartial to that. “Sure.”

“I know you’re worried,” he said, catching her soft look. “But I’ll be fine. I promise. Sasuke’s been taking care of me well. We love each other. Even if we’re just…a Beta and an Alpha couple. So, bonding and stuff—they’re not that important.”

“It’s a sign of commitment,” Sakura said. “It’s almost a decade. If he’s still scared to share you with the world…you might need to start considering why, Naruto.” She stood up then, patting her skirt. “I’m going to my next class. Want to get a drink later?”

Naruto nodded, letting her words sink in his head. She patted his shoulder and walked out of the teacher’s office. He sighed, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling. It wasn’t like she didn’t have any points. When Sasuke would be out at times with his friends, he would be left wondering why he wasn’t invited. When the Alpha had to leave to go back to his home for Christmas, he couldn’t help but to wonder when it would be the time he would be invited. 

At least Itachi knew of his existence even though it was because he caught them kissing in Sasuke’s room that one time when they were in high school. He rubbed a hand down his face and looked at his left hand. He had brought up the subject of bonding and marriage. Sasuke had always told him he wasn’t ready and that he was happy with how they were. 

Was it maybe because he was a Beta with an Omega-recessive gene as well? Not fully a Beta but not really an Omega either. A weird hybrid of the two because of some weird pregnancy complication. At times like these, he wished he could meet his real parents. Just to know more about them so he could understand why he was this weird. 

He shook those thoughts out. He had never spoken of these problems with anyone before and it wouldn't do good to start now. Naruto sighed. 

They were both now twenty-seven years old. 

How much longer was it going to be before Sasuke was ready, he wondered.

He went back to filling up his teacher log book, ignoring the ache in his chest.

***

The Beta returned home a little tipsy. He always reminded himself not to drink too much when he was hanging out with Sakura. But his competitive nature always got to him. All she had to do was poke him about his inability to hold his drinks and that would it, chugging down one drink after another until the last one survived the battle. This time, Naruto managed to stay sober and win. Maybe it was because he wasn't that into the competition as he once would be. 

Rubbing the back of his neck, he stumbled his way through the darkness and entered the kitchen. He grabbed a glass of water and decided to take a shower, acutely aware that the Alpha was not home yet. He glanced at his wrist watch, eyebrows furrowing when he realised it was almost nine in the evening. Glad that tomorrow was a Saturday, he grabbed his bag and walked to their bedroom. He dropped his bag near his working table and grabbed a pair of boxers and one of Sasuke’s larger shirts before walking into the bathroom. 

He wouldn’t admit it, though he was sure the smug bastard knew, but when he got too needy or missed Sasuke a bit too much, he would wear his clothes and snuggle in bed until he felt safe and wanted again. That, in itself, should tell him how much more he needed from this relationship but…this was Sasuke. Naruto had to literally pull affection out of him. He rubbed his neck as he walked out of the bathroom after a shower, towelling his wet hair with his other hand. 

When was the last time they even had sex? 

He couldn’t remember. Was it two weeks ago? A month ago? 

Tired to his bones, he dropped his towel into the laundry basket and walked to the kitchen to clean the glass he had left behind. Just as he grabbed the cool glass, the door to their apartment opened. Noting that the wall clock showed that it was almost ten in the evening, he waited for Sasuke to announce himself. 

“I’m home,” Sasuke said, voice loud from the entrance of their home. 

“Welcome home,” Naruto hollered back, a smile crossed his lips as he went to the sink to wash the glass. 

He heard footsteps shuffling on the smooth ground before a pair of pale hands wrapped around his waist. Plastering behind his back was warmth, strong warmth. It was this close that Naruto was able to smell Sasuke’s scent. A scent he couldn't normally detect if he had been a pure Beta. And a smell he could only detect this close because he was a recessive Omega. He smiled wider when Sasuke pressed closer against him, causing him to be pushed against the edge of the sink. Hot breath washed over his shoulder before a pair of lips pressed against the side of his face. 

“You’re wearing my shirt again,” Sasuke said, voice tired but smug. 

Then, the Alpha pulled away. Naruto placed the glass back on the rack and turned around, grinning as he watched the dark-haired man pull at his tie, loosening it. The obsidian eyes searched his face before the pale lips stretched into a small smile. The Beta didn’t hesitate to reach and touch his Alpha’s skin, pausing when Sasuke grimaced at his wet hand. 

“Oi, your hand is wet,” Sasuke said, pushing his hand away and continuing to loosen his tie. 

Naruto rolled his eyes. Before the Alpha could react, he slapped both of his hands on those cheeks, earning a startled noise from the taller man. Sasuke immediately pulled away, frowning as he wiped his cheeks from the remains of the soapy water. 

“Don’t be such a prude,” Naruto said. “You’re about to take a bath anyway.”

“Still,” Sasuke grumbled, clicking his tongue. “I’m hungry.”

Naruto tilted his head a little to the side before he frowned, mirroring Sasuke’s face. “Did you not eat?”

“Told you I had a last minute meeting,” Sasuke said, straightening himself up. “Didn’t have time to grab anything besides water.”

Alarmed at that information, he pressed both hands on Sasuke’s chest and pushed him away a little. “Go take a shower and I’ll make you something to eat.”

The dark-haired man grabbed his wrists and halted him. “Are you going to make ramen again?”

Naruto scowled. “Oi! I know how to cook more than that! Even if ramen is the best invention to human kind.”

“Sure.” Sasuke’s deadpanned face was a little amusing to look at. Naruto’s scowl was replaced with a smile and he leaned in close. The Alpha searched his face but he didn’t release his wrists neither he moved away. 

When Naruto managed to press his lips against Sasuke’s for a few moments, the Alpha remained unresponsive just for a split moment before he kissed him back. They pulled back after the chaste kiss. The Beta couldn’t help himself and pressed another peck on those pale lips before he untangled his wrists from those stronger hands. With that, he moved past Sasuke to open the cupboard doors. 

“I want tomatoes in them,” Sasuke said as he walked out of the kitchen and head into their bedroom. 

“I know what you like in them,” Naruto retorted, rolling his eyes again as he pulled out a packet of instant noodles anyway. 

His cheeks reddened as he felt this flutter of happiness inside of him at doing such a menial task for the Alpha. Maybe it was because he was being relied on. Sasuke was known to do things his own way. Sometimes, the blond-haired man had to pry it out of him when he had a tough day and wanted comfort. The Alpha’s pride plus his own personal ego was a tough wall to get through but he couldn’t help but to feel happy that he could get through them every time. Like now. Sasuke in the past wouldn’t have ever said out loud he was hungry. He would have made himself something to eat without saying a word to Naruto. 

But now, it was nice to be relied on. Even if it was something as small as feeding the other man. 

He placed the bowl of hot, steaming broth and noodles with tomatoes, eggs, shallots and slices of meat on the table just as Sasuke walked out of their bedroom. His hair was a little damp but he looked better than before. Wearing a white shirt and a pair of pyjama pants, he eyed the bowl of noodles before a smile crossed the pale lips. 

Naruto’s heart made a flip as he settled on the chair opposite of him. He watched as Sasuke sat down and picked his spoon, sipping the broth. When the Alpha made a small noise to say he liked it, the blond-haired man’s heart squeezed in affection. He itched to touch the Alpha and hug him again but he refrained. He could cuddle with him in bed later. 

“How was work?” he asked, as he leaned on both elbows on the table and continued to watch his lover eat. 

Sasuke hummed, chewing on a tomato before he lifted his dark eyes to meet the blue ones. “It was the same. Nothing…exciting happened.” He shrugged. 

The brief pause was not unnoticed by the Beta but he didn’t pry on it. 

“Hm,” Naruto said, earning a raised eyebrow from Sasuke and he smiled. 

“Did you hang out with Sakura again?” Sasuke asked, sipping on the broth. “I smelt her perfume on you.”

Naruto grinned, already dreading this conversation. “Yeah. She wanted to have a drink so I said yes. Plus, you were coming home late anyway.”

“Don’t know what you see in that pink-haired weirdo,” Sasuke muttered under his breath as he chewed on the noodles next. 

The blond-haired man frowned, leaning away from the table. “Hey, she’s my best friend. She’s also your friend, Sas.”

“By association,” the Alpha added. “If I could not be her friend, I would.”

“Geez,” he said, “what is with you and her? Both of you like to nag about each other.”

Sasuke immediately looked at him at that. “Did she say something about me again?”

The Beta simply sunk into his seat and crossed his arms against his chest, huffing a breath. “Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“So, just her disapproval about us then,” Sasuke said, nodding. “Of course. Don’t see why it’s her business what we get up to.”

A little bit miffed at that, he said, “She’s just worried, that’s all.”

“About what?” Sasuke eyed him. 

Naruto swallowed past the dryness in his throat when he recognised the shift in the air. He knew that if he opened this can of worms, it was only going to spoil the mood and ruin the perfect calmness they had in between them. Sasuke hated being confronted and pushed into things he didn’t like to do. And…it kind of hurt to know that marrying and mating the Beta might be one of those things. However, he was determined to not fight today. 

So, he smiled. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it. You should eat.” With that, he slapped both hands on the table and stood up. As if he planned it, a yawn left his lips. He jabbed a finger at their bedroom. “I’m going to sleep first.”

Sasuke looked at him a bit longer before he nodded, going back to eating. With a relieved soft sigh, Naruto left the kitchen and head to their bedroom. He closed the door until it was only ajar by an inch. Crawling under the covers, his body relaxed and he pressed his face into his pillow. His heart did ache. He wanted to be closer to Sasuke. But he might as well wait until they could talk about this without anything else in the way like tiredness or stress. Sasuke’s smell entered his nose and he smiled. It was nice. 

But he couldn’t sleep. Not really. It was only when Sasuke joined him that he was able to really let the tiredness get to him. He sighed a little once more as the Alpha turned to face him, his pale hand reached to brush some of his blond hair away from his face. Naruto smiled sleepily before closing the distance and pressed his lips against Sasuke’s. With a goodnight kiss, he let the Alpha pull him to his chest and wrap his arms around him. Naruto reciprocated it by placing a hand over his waist. 

Nothing else was said.

***

When Naruto woke up the next morning, it was with Sasuke in the bathroom and the sunlight streaming through the cracks between the curtains. He groaned, slumping against the pillows as he placed an arm across the space his lover had occupied. It was still warm. He snuggled into his sheets a bit longer, his eyes drooping close only for them to be snapped open when Sasuke’s phone rang. He let the phone ring for a minute until it died out before the silence returned. Just as he was about to sleep again, multiple ding sounds echoed in the room coming from the same phone. 

Naruto, a little irritated, tossed his blanket away and grabbed Sasuke’s phone with intention to throw it at the Alpha’s face and go back to sleep. However, when his eyes skimmed the screen by accident, he stopped moving. Sitting on his heels on the bed, his eyebrows furrowed as his brain scrambled to make sense of the messages that were appearing on the Alpha’s phone. 

_‘Please Uchiha-san. I need to see you.’_

_‘Don’t ignore me…I can’t be away from you!’_

_‘You’re my True Pair Alpha! I know you are!’_

_‘You already confirmed it when you met me yesterday. Just come see me again and I’ll prove it that you’ll be happier with me!’_

What the fuck was this? 

He hadn’t realised that he was staring at the screen with trembling fingers until a pale hand grabbed the phone away. Naruto snapped his head up to look at the Alpha, his eyes wide and his breath coming out in small, fast puffs. His heart tightened in his chest as Sasuke stared at him with an impassive look on his face. The dark-haired man looked at the screen and switched his phone off, tossing it on the bedside table. 

“Sasuke?” Naruto said, his voice coming out in a whisper. Confused. “What…”

“You shouldn’t have touched my phone,” he said. 

It was then anger washed into him. “What the fuck did I just read, Sasuke?”

The Alpha merely continued to stare at him before he sighed, deciding to sit on the bed. “I was going to tell you today but…you had to beat me to it.”

“Tell me what?” Naruto screeched, his eyes watering as his mind connected the puzzle pieces. “True Pair…did…did you meet your True Pair?”

No, that couldn’t be it. Sasuke didn’t, right? He knew how many desired the Uchiha. He was a strong Alpha, a man who had created legacy and was doing great in the world of business. He was the pride and joy of the Uchiha family. But Naruto had always trusted him. Because the dark-haired man never gave him any indication that he should be worried about others. 

But now…

“Yes,” Sasuke said, not beating around the bush. “Yes, I did.”

His world screeched to a stop. “W…What? H-How? When?”

The Alpha intertwined his own fingers, his eyes downcast for a bit. “Yesterday evening. She was the daughter of one of the shareholders. They came by for a visit and we met.”

Naruto couldn’t really comprehend this. “Was that why you were late yesterday?”

He didn’t say anything. Merely nodded. Naruto immediately grabbed Sasuke by his shirt. The Alpha retaliated by grabbing his wrists, tight. The dark eyes flashed in momentary red, almost as if he was the one angry. Naruto gritted his teeth, staring into those eyes. 

“Calm down,” Sasuke said, his voice low. 

But that only further enraged the blond-haired man. “Calm down?” he yelled, shaking the Alpha. “Calm down? You lied! You lied about why you were late yesterday and you went and met with your True Pair! How do you expect me to calm down?”

“I didn’t do anything with her,” Sasuke said, his voice strong. “She’s nothing. We talked about what we needed to do and I told her firmly that we will not meet again. I want nothing to do with her.”

All the insecurities, fears and loneliness that he had felt all these years came crashing back into him like a tidal wave. Tears ran down his cheeks and Sasuke’s eyes widened. Naruto loosened his grip on the shirt and he pulled away, taking in a deep breath as he dropped his gaze to the space between them. 

He needed to confirm one last thing…

“Is she an Omega?” Naruto asked, his voice shook. 

“Naruto…” Sasuke tried to touch his hand but the blond-haired man pulled away. With a sigh, he said, “Yes.”

Naruto closed his eyes for a second before he moved to get out of bed. Sasuke grabbed his wrist and pulled him back in. The blond-haired man wrestled his way out, or tried to. He aimed a swift punch on Sasuke, only for his arms to get trapped against his chest and legs bracketing his waist, a strong chest plastered against his back. 

“Let go,” Naruto said, biting his bottom lip from crying again. “Let go, I need to shower.”

“Dumbass, listen to me,” Sasuke said, tightening his grip around Naruto. 

“I don’t need to,” he said, struggling again. “You already found your True Pair. What more do you want to say? I lost.”

“Lost?” Sasuke said as he forcibly turned Naruto around. When it was clear the Beta was not going to sit still, he pounced on him. Pushing the blond-haired man against the sheets and straddling his waist, he slammed the tan hands on either side of his head, immobilising him. 

Naruto stared up at him, his eyes filled with tears and sadness. “I lost. This is what you’ve been waiting for, right? All these years?”

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”

The blond-haired man took in a shuddering deep breath. “I want to marry you, Sasuke. I want you to bond with me even if a biting mark means nothing much to a Beta. I want to be with you forever. You’re…you’re it for me. But…you don’t want that. We’ve been together for almost nine years, Sasuke.”

“I know that,” Sasuke said, his eyes once more flashed in momentary red. “I’m aware I’ve kept you waiting long enough.”

“Your family doesn’t even know I exist except for Itachi!” Naruto yelled, startling the Alpha. “Your friends don’t know I exist…I want them to know me. I want you to be proud of me.”

“I am,” Sasuke said, leaning close to his face. “Naruto, if I’m not, I won’t be here. You’re mine. We don’t need anyone else’s validation of what we have.”

“So, I’ll be your dirty little secret forever then?” The words were awful to say but they were the truth. Sasuke stilled above him. “Right? That’s how it’s going to be? You’re going to keep me hidden away while you go and tell everyone you met your True Pair Omega!”

“I don’t want her or any other Omega in this fucking universe!” Sasuke exclaimed, his eyes wide. “I don’t care if my True Pair decided to die because I don’t want them. I want you. Only you.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me you met them?” Naruto questioned. “Would you have told me if I didn’t see it on your phone?”

Sasuke thinned his lips. “I would have told you. I didn’t want to tell you yesterday because we were both tired. I was going to tell you today. You have to believe me. I rejected her. I don’t want anyone but you.”

His heart broke because he didn’t know if he could trust him. “I don’t know if I can believe that.”

“For fuck’s sakes,” Sasuke muttered as he let Naruto’s wrists go and got up. He then moved to his working bag that was on the work table and rummaged through it. 

Naruto sat up, wiping his eyes as he tried to hold back a sob. Sasuke sat down in front of him once more before he grabbed a tan hand and placed a box on it. The blond-haired man stared at the box for a few seconds before he looked at the dark eyes. 

“Open it,” Sasuke said. “And then tell me if you still don’t believe me.”

Naruto breath hitched in his throat as he opened the box. Inside, nestled in velvet cushion were a pair of rings. Rings that the blond-haired man had long to see. He stared at them for the longest time before Sasuke grabbed the box from his hand, pulling one ring out. 

“I was going to propose to you on our upcoming anniversary,” Sasuke said, grabbing Naruto’s left hand. “I told you…I had made you wait long enough.”

“Sasuke,” Naruto whispered as he watched the pretty thing settle on his ring finger perfectly. 

It was beautiful. Simple, cute and on it, when Naruto brought his hand to look at the engravings closer, their names. Sasuke held up another ring. The blond-haired man took it with trembling fingers.

“Marry me,” Sasuke said, his pale cheeks now had a tint of pink on them. “I don’t want anyone else, Naruto.”

Naruto’s bottom lip wobbled. “But what if you need that Omega? What if your biology—”

“When have I ever let biology control me?” Sasuke said, exasperated. “I don’t even react to the smell of heats.”

That…was true. Sasuke had always detested the smell of them. When they were in high school, Sasuke had turned green real fast when an Omega tried to throw herself on him when she went into heat. Naruto had laughed his ass off that day but now…he was a little glad that the Alpha hated it. His fingers shook as he grabbed the Alpha’s left hand. 

“But what if her heat is the only exception?” Naruto said, his insecurities escaping his lips. “I’m a Beta, Sasuke. What if your Alpha isn’t satisfied anymore?”

“I don’t care if she’s the rarest gem in the whole goddamn world,” Sasuke groused. “You’re it for me. Put the ring on me, Naruto.”

“This is a real concern, Sasuke,” Naruto mumbled as he did slide it on Sasuke’s hand, his heart fluttering against his chest as he saw their matching rings. “I don’t want to lose you to anyone. I know I shouldn’t stay in the way of a True Pair but—”

“I love you.” Sasuke’s words startled Naruto into silence. 

The blue eyes were wide and his heart almost stopped beating at the confession. The three words rarely came out of those pale lips. In his life, he could count the few times the Alpha had uttered those words. 

“There’s no one else,” Sasuke said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I know I haven’t been the best…boyfriend. But I need you. I…can’t do this without you.”

Naruto sniffled, alarming the Alpha. Sasuke crawled closer to him before he reached the Beta, pulling him into a hug. The blond-haired man tossed his arms around Sasuke, burying his face against the shoulder as his legs bracketed the pale man’s hips. 

“I love you too,” Naruto said, grabbing the back of his shirt. “I don’t want anyone to take you away, even if she’s your True Pair.”

“She won’t take me away,” Sasuke said, voice uncharacteristically soft as he patted the back of Naruto’s head. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Are you really sure?” Naruto mumbled. “About me? I’m a Beta with Omega recessive genes. I’m…weird.”

“You’ve always been weird,” Sasuke said, earning a slap on his back. “That’s why I fell for you, dumbass. You’re not like the others.” After a beat, he added in an embarrassed tone, “Plus no one else can handle my ass like you can.”

Naruto admitted that that was nice to hear. “What about your family?”

Sasuke sighed before he pulled away, searching the blue eyes. He seemed to hesitate and the blond-haired man could immediately detect nervousness in those dark orbs. “They…know about you.”

Naruto’s eyes widened and a screech left his mouth in shock. “What?”

The dark-haired man nodded, his cheeks tinting pink. “They’ve always known about you. The reason I don’t bring you to meet with them is because I don’t want to subject you to my mother’s needling. Plus, Father is being a right bitch about it and I don’t want you to be treated…badly by him.”

The blond-haired man frowned. “We’ve been together for nine years and you’re telling me they’ve always known about me?”

“Itachi let it spill by accident four years ago,” Sasuke said, rolling his eyes. “I was about to invite you back home anyway that year, remember?”

Naruto hummed, nodding. Sasuke had been nervous that day, though it didn’t show much on his face. But he had been distracted and his words fumbled once in a while. When he had tried to ask Naruto if he was free the day after Christmas, he had been excited to think that the Alpha was going to ask him to meet his family. That was before a phone call ruined the atmosphere and Sasuke had come back from the conversation paler than a piece of paper. Naruto never got to find out why the Alpha had asked him about his free day after Christmas. 

Now he knew why. 

“Father was a horrible mess to deal with,” Sasuke said. “Threatened to disown me if I didn’t leave you. Kicked me out of the house after I refused.”

Naruto’s eyes widened. “Was that why you were home earlier than usual when I came back from Iruka’s place?”

Sasuke nodded. “I’ve been trying to make amends since then and…I was going to finally ask you to come back with me this year.”

“You’re…” Naruto began. “You’re not saying this just because your True Pair walked into the picture…right?”

Sasuke scowled. “Even if she hadn’t, I’d still do this. Only I’d have proposed to you on our anniversary and asked you to my parents’ house later this year.”

He touched the Alpha’s shoulders before he sighed, shaking his head and leaning to place his cheek on them. “I’m still scared.”

“Do you not believe me?” Sasuke said, sounding a little offended.

“I do believe you,” Naruto whispered. “But I don’t know how to feel about that Omega texting you and proclaiming her as your mate.”

“She’s not my mate,” Sasuke growled. “Do you need me to bite you to remind you that you’ll be my mate?”

“Geez, Sasuke,” Naruto said, pulling away to run his fingers through his hair. “This is all so sudden, alright? You’ve always been so against marrying and mating me and suddenly, this,” he said, showing his ring, “happens and you’re asking me to go with you to your family’s place and talking about mating me—It’s a lot!”

“I’ve never been against it,” Sasuke said. “I just said I wasn’t ready. Now I am.”

Naruto searched his face for any lies. Any deceit. But he couldn’t find any. His best friend, his lover had always been a straightforward man. Lying was a hard thing to do for him, not when he was very blunt. And the blond-haired man appreciated it because he didn’t have to worry about secrets. Though…he glanced at his lover’s phone, startling when Sasuke grabbed his chin and forced their eyes to meet again. 

“You’re coming with me when I sever ties with that Omega,” Sasuke said, eyes burning into his. 

“What?” Naruto said, surprised. 

“You’re my fiancé now,” Sasuke said. “And my future mate. There was never any question about it. I told her about you and she didn’t believe me. You’re coming with me.”

Naruto’s cheeks reddened. He squinted his eyes. “You’re not doing this just to get rid of something that bothers you, right? You want to do this because you are proud of me? You want me?”

“I will bite you here and now to prove a point,” Sasuke hissed, his eyes bled red. “If I can’t have you, I won’t ever take up another mate or lover. No one else. Period.”

When Naruto was pushed against the pillows, his eyes wide as Sasuke straddled him once more, he knew that the Alpha was serious. When Sasuke’s fingers glided through his hair and forced him to bare his neck, hot breath immediately washed over his sensitive skin, he yelped. He placed both hands on the strong shoulders and stopped Sasuke from doing anything else. 

“I believe you!” Naruto yelled. “So don’t bite me yet!”

This wasn’t how he wanted his mating with Sasuke to go. The Alpha pulled away, loosening his grip on his hair until it became a soft brush, fingers caressing his head. Naruto huffed a breath, aiming a glare on the man above him before Sasuke smiled. It was the rare smile he got whenever he did something that the Alpha found cute or fond of. His cheeks reddened and he glanced away, clearing his throat before he raised his left hand to look at the ring. 

His heart lightened in his chest. 

“Don’t leave me,” Naruto said, his words came out vulnerable. 

Sasuke touched his jaw before he tilted Naruto’s head so their noses brushed against each other. “Not going to let you go even if you cry for it now,” Sasuke said, earning a snort from the blond below him. 

He closed his eyes when Sasuke’s free hand grabbed his left hand, intertwining their fingers before he pressed them against the mattress. Then, he pressed his lips against Naruto’s, stealing away the blond-haired man’s breath away. He kissed him back, his right hand travelled to bury his fingers into the dark locks, pulling him closer until their chests met and their bottom halves were aligned closer. Warmth pooled at the pit of his stomach along with tendrils of arousal as their kiss turned heated. 

Just as things were about to escalate, Naruto’s phone rang, startling them both. They pulled away, Naruto breathing a bit heavier than Sasuke. He furrowed his eyebrows as his eyes landed on his phone located on the bedside table. He wanted to grab it but the Alpha merely pressed a hand on his chest to keep him in place. Naruto was about to protest when Sasuke turned his head and raised his hips to look at who was calling the blond-haired man before he settled back down on Naruto with a roll of his eyes. 

“It’s Kiba,” Sasuke said. “Ignore him.”

Before Naruto could squawk out a defiant response, Sasuke kissed him again, pushing him further into his pillow. If it was any other time, he would have kicked the Alpha away from him and answered the call but this time…he let himself be swept by the waves of heat and love. The Alpha was insistent on having him and he wanted him back too. As he wrapped an arm around Sasuke’s neck and tilted his head as the pale lips travelled down, he decided to ignore his phone after all.

***

He leaned against the headboard, his hips hurt and his entire body felt heavy. But nevertheless, he was satiated and happy. Sasuke was sleeping next to him, one arm slung across Naruto’s hip and his face smushed against it. It was a cute picture and Naruto couldn’t help but to grin. He placed his hand on the dark, messy hair, blushing red as he recalled what they had done an hour ago. Wincing, he decided to move a little to grab his phone, earning a muffled mumble from Sasuke as he tightened his grip on the blond-haired man. 

Holding back a giggle, he saw that Kiba had called him twice more before sending almost eight messages asking him what to do about his recent fight with Hinata. Naruto rolled his eyes, typing out a response before he heard the doorbell to their apartment ringing. Frowning, Naruto got out of bed, carefully enough to not wake Sasuke and grabbed a pair of pants and the shirt he wore before. He hissed as his hip hurt at each step, forcing him to be accustomed to the ache in his muscles as he head to the front door. 

When he yanked the door open, he was immediately pushed aside by a woman with brown hair, screaming for Sasuke. His eyes widened as he stood there frozen, unsure of what the fuck was happening. He closed the door slowly before he followed her into the living room. 

“Uhm,” he said, catching her attention. She turned to glare at him. 

“Where’s Uchiha-san?” she hissed. “I need to see him. Where is he?”

Naruto frowned. “Who the fuck are you and why did you barge in here, lady?”

The said lady stared at him before she walked up to him. Her eyes searched his face before she leaned in close, almost sniffing him. Naruto immediately took a step back, a little freaked out. 

“Why do you smell like him?” she said. “Who are you?”

He didn’t know what was happening. “I asked you first.”

“I’m Kikio,” she said, turning around to once again barge into his place as if she owned it. “This is where Uchiha-san lives, right? Why are you here? Who are you? Uchiha-san!”

Unable to take her screeching voice again, he hurried past her and walked into their bedroom. Sasuke was still sleeping and it made a cute picture if not for the sudden terror in their home. He grabbed a shirt and another pair of pants and tossed it on Sasuke before shaking him. The Alpha groaned, moving only a little. When Naruto was about to kick him out of bed, Kikio barged into their bedroom, stopping at the entrance when her eyes landed on them. 

“What…what’s going on here?” she screeched. 

Sasuke immediately snapped open his eyes and sat up, blinking a few times to look at her. And then he looked at Naruto. “Naruto…what—”

“Who the fuck is she?” Naruto said as he turned to point at the demon waiting for them with wide eyes. 

Sasuke wore his shirt before he froze. And then, his eyes landed on her with a frown. “What the fuck are you doing in my house?” His shoulders tensed. “In my bedroom?”

Kikio paled a little. But then she straightened herself and glared at Naruto. “Why the fuck is he in your bed? How dare you bring another to your bed when you have found your True Pair Omega!”

Naruto’s eyes widened again and his breath hitched in his throat. Sasuke immediately got out of bed after wearing his pyjama pants underneath the blankets, walking up to her to grab her arm. She yelped as he pulled her out of the room. The blond-haired man immediately followed them out, watching as how she struggled in his tight grip until he pushed her to the entrance of their house. 

“Get the fuck out,” Sasuke said, his eyes sharp. “I told you yesterday I don’t want you. Get the fuck out and disappear from my sight.”

Naruto remained by his side as he looked at how her face fell. Her entire demeanour changed and her eyes filled with tears. She looked…lost. She glanced at Naruto before her eyes narrowed. 

“He’s a Beta,” she spat out. “I’m your Omega—”

“Just because some stupid biology dictated you’re an Omega that is created for me, it doesn’t mean I agree with it,” Sasuke said, shoving his hands in his pyjama pockets. “You didn’t believe me when I said I already have someone I want to mate and love for the rest of my life. He’s the one. Whether you accept it or not.”

“Don’t you feel the pull?” she asked as she clenched her handbag. “I yearn for you. I can’t sleep without you since we met. We can’t be apart from each other.”

“I slept just fine,” Sasuke said, shrugging. “I don’t want you. Get out.”

Before she could open her mouth, Sasuke had already turned and left her behind, heading to their bedroom. Naruto watched him disappear before he looked at her again. She made an ugly face but there was genuine frustration, hurt and confusion in those eyes. Feeling a little bad, he opened the front door. 

“Hey, you should leave,” he said. 

Kikio simply glared before she pointed a finger at him. “You’re never going to be his. I belong to him and he belongs to me. Sooner or later, he’ll come to me. Especially when it’s time for my heat!”

Naruto didn’t even have a chance to retort when she stormed out of the house. He closed the door shut, sighing heavily as he leaned against the door and stared at the ground. He had heard of stories about Alpha and Omega True Pairs being unable to stay away from each other for long. And if he was being honest, he was afraid that would happen to Sasuke. Even if he believed that the Alpha wanted him and only him…biology would still win no matter what. He rubbed the back of his neck, pushing himself away from the door and walked into the bedroom. 

Sasuke was typing away on his phone as he stood next to bed, his dark eyes lifted to meet his when he entered the room. 

“You treated her quite roughly,” Naruto said, earning a glare from the Alpha that had him closing his mouth. 

“She’s a brat,” Sasuke said, a yawn left his lips. “I’m hungry. Let’s go out and eat.”

So, they weren’t going to talk about Kikio, huh? Naruto bit his bottom lip. “About her—”

“I wanted to introduce you to her properly but since she had no dignity left and tried to be embarrassing, that’s as much introduction she’s gonna get,” Sasuke said, walking past him to the cupboards. “And I don’t want to talk about her anymore. She’s got nothing to do with us.”

She had something to do with him. Because she had something to do with Sasuke. But Naruto didn’t want to voice that out. He stared at the ring on his left hand and let that be a source of comfort. “Okay,” Naruto said. 

“Also,” Sasuke said, turning to face him. “Want to meet my lousy friends?”

Naruto blinked, taken aback at the request. Then, he took a step towards Sasuke and touched his face. “Was last night a bit too much for you?”

Sasuke’s cheeks pinked and he slapped his hand away from his forehead. “I’m fine, idiot. Do you or do you not want to meet them?”

“Don’t be so rude, asshole,” Naruto shot back before a grin took over his face. “Of course I want to meet them. I can’t believe it took you this long to introduce me to your friends.”

“That’s because I rather like your friends better than mine. Plus, they’re fucking weird. Wanted to keep you away from them as far as I could,” Sasuke mumbled, causing Naruto to freeze for a few seconds. “Don’t freeze like an idiot. Come on, let’s take a shower.”

Naruto blinked when the Alpha grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the bathroom. His face heated up but a contagious smile crossed his lips. “You’re making quite an effort.”

“Well, it’s about time I did,” Sasuke said, throwing it over his shoulder. 

Stunning Naruto, he let the Alpha pull him into the bathroom and close the door behind them.

***

Naruto tore open the plastic to get to his melon bun, munching on it as he stared at the students playing football at the field. So many things had happened during the weekend. The proposal, Kikio. Not to mention, he had met Sasuke’s friends and like the Alpha had said, they were a bit odd. They accepted him easily into the social circle but they also had a dynamic to them that Naruto couldn’t really fit in. But he was happy to watch them irritate the hell out of Sasuke. There was a little fondness in the way the Alpha treated them. 

A hand slapped the back of his head, causing him to choke on his bread. He turned to look at Sakura, frowning as he grabbed the bottle of water handed out to him. Gulping on it, he sighed when she sat next to him. It was then she saw the ring on his hand and immediately grabbed it. 

“Woah, what’s this?” she said. “Wait, did you get hitched without telling me?”

Naruto smiled, chuckling as he let her inspect his ring. “Well, I wanted to tell you in person but you went on a two days holiday with Lee to the hot springs so.”

Sakura’s cheeks reddened before she slapped his shoulder. Hard. Yelping, he pulled his hand away to rub his abused shoulder. “You’re engaged?”

“Sasuke proposed to me,” Naruto said with a grin. “Kinda.”

She narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean ‘kinda’?”

He sighed, recalling of Kikio. “He said he wanted to propose to me during our anniversary. But he did it on Saturday morning instead. Because…” 

Sakura nudged him. “Because of what?”

His heart squeezed in his chest as he stared at his ring. “He met his True Pair Omega.”

Silence washed into the scene before she grabbed his shoulder, turning him to face her. “What? When?”

“Last Friday.” Naruto rubbed a hand down his face. “She was blowing up his phone.”

Her cheeks reddened but it was with a different emotion entirely. “Was he cheating on you? That bastard!”

Alarmed, he shook his head. “No, he only found out that Friday. He rejected her, Sakura.”

She fell silent at that, her eyes wide. “Rejected her? His Omega Pair?”

Naruto winced at the words. “Yeah. She…obviously didn’t like it. Found out where he lived and barged into our home. He tossed her out and told her to leave him alone.”

Sakura huffed a breath, crossing her arms against her chest. “Well what do you know? He had guts after all.” She frowned. “But it seems suspicious that he proposed just as she walked into his life. He could have done this years ago. And what about meeting his friends and family?”

“He…His family knew about us four years ago,” Naruto said, looking away. “His father wasn’t happy with it and that’s why he’s been holding back from bringing me home. I met his friends two days ago. They were…weird but they were nice. They kinda knew about us, as well.”

“That’s…great and all but,” Sakura said, catching his eyes. “I don’t know, Naruto. I just don’t trust him. Plus…he’s an Alpha.” After a beat she added, “His True Pair is an Omega at that.”

“What are you trying to say?” Naruto thinned his lips. 

“I’ve never heard of an Alpha not being with their True Pair,” Sakura said, a bit too bluntly. “And seeing how he’d been so reluctant to be permanently committed with you for so many years, suddenly he wants to?”

“He told me he’s ready now—”

“But what if that’s just an excuse?” Sakura said. 

“For what?” Naruto said, exasperated. “What excuse could he possibly have to do this?”

She bit her bottom lip, touching his hand. “I want you to be happy, Naruto. I don’t want you to get hurt. He’s an Alpha who now found his True Pair. What if he ends up choosing you both? Can you stand to share your lover with that Omega?”

Stung, he pulled his hand away, staring at her. “Sasuke won’t do that. We’re not into polyamory. He knows this. He won’t do that to me. He doesn’t even want her.”

“She’s his Omega,” Sakura said, eyes wide. “What part of that don’t you get? They’re meant to be, Naruto. What if he can’t stay away from her after all? What about when she goes into heat, huh? Are you sure you can be by his side when that day comes?”

“ _When_?” Naruto question, his eyes sharp. “I believe in Sasuke, Sakura. If you don’t, then that’s fine. But you shouldn’t go around trying to make me doubt him like that. I love him. He loves me. He…wants me. He chose me. I trust him.” He stood up, glaring at her. “Even if you’re my best friend, you should refrain from speaking about Sasuke that badly.”

He turned and left, his heart racing miles per minute as her words echoed in his mind. He knew she had a point. At the end of the day, Kikio was Sasuke’s Pair. It didn’t matter who else came in between, they were meant to be. But…Sasuke had chosen him. Naruto refused to let him go if at the end of the day, the Alpha wanted him. 

He gritted his teeth as his heart squeezed in his chest.

***

Naruto circled his finger around the rim of his beer mug. He listened to Kiba complaining about Hinata…while the poor girl was right next to him. When he earned a slap from her handbag and her walking away, Naruto didn’t even pity him as he had to chase after her. The Hinata from high school who had a huge crush on the blond-haired man had been a stuttering mess. But now that she was a woman who had married Kiba, she was different. More confident. A woman suited to deal with Kiba’s dumb ass. 

He stared at his mug, sipping on it. Shikamaru was next to him, looking close to sleeping as per usual. Glancing at the Beta, he poked Naruto. The said man jolted away from his thoughts to look at him, blinking before smiling confusedly. 

“Your beef is burning,” Shikamaru said. 

Naruto looked at the meat on the grill, cursing when he realised his friend was right. Taking it from the grill and placing it on his plate, he whined as he noted black spots on it. “Man, I was looking forward to this one.”

“You’ve been pretty absent-minded,” Ino said from opposite of him, raising her eyebrows. “Geez, the one night I’m able to have a drink without my annoying husband and my delightful child disturbing me is the night my friends are useless as fuck.”

“Sorry,” Naruto said, grinning. “How’re you, Ino?”

“Fine,” Ino said, gruffly. “Where the fuck did Sakura go, though? She promised to be here tonight and cancelled last minute.”

Naruto winced, avoiding her eye contact as he went to munch on the burnt meat. “Who knows.”

“You should since you work at the same school as her,” Ino said. She kicked him from the under the table when he didn’t reply. “Oi, where is she?”

“That hurts!” Naruto whined as he rubbed his shin. 

“Hey,” Ino said before she grabbed his left hand. “What the fuck is this?”

Shikamaru looked at it too before he mumbled something under his breath and went back to looking like he was about to fall asleep. The blond-haired man meanwhile sweated a little as he pulled his hand away from the Omega’s touch. 

“I’m engaged?” he said, earning a loud screech from his friend. 

He immediately turned crimson red when a few pair of eyes landed on him, mostly from strangers glaring at their table for the noise. Apologising to them, he sighed as he looked back at Ino. 

“Did Sasuke finally propose to you?” she said, her eyes sparkled. “At last!”

“Congrats,” Shikamaru said, sipping on his sake. 

“Yeah and thanks,” Naruto said, smiling. “Happened during the weekend. Wanted to meet you guys to tell you.”

“Ah, the most eligible bachelor is finally out of the market, huh?” Ino said with a dreamy sigh. 

Maybe if it had been any other time, he would have laughed at her joke. But this time, it hit a bit too close to home. After the argument with Sakura and the appearance of Kikio, everything seemed a bit weird. Sasuke had acted like nothing had changed. But in reality, everything did. He stood up, paying his part of the bill and bid them goodbye. He felt bad that he left Ino behind when she could finally spend time with them but he wasn’t in the mood. 

As he walked out of the small barbecue place, he sighed as the cold night breeze hit his face. He pulled out his phone, noting that Sasuke was on his way home. He wondered if the Alpha could pick him up before he decided against it. Maybe a walk home would be better. To clear his mind from all these…weird doubts popping into his head. 

He walked down the pavement, passing by other people. With each couple he passed, his heart continued to sink to the pit of his stomach. He shoved his hands in his jacket, watching his breath become clouds before they disappeared into nothing. It was then he came to a junction. One that went to the left heading to the train station and the other heading straight to where his home was. 

When he found himself taking the left, maybe to head to Iruka’s place, he spotted a woman and her friends walking up the stairs. His eyes widened when the woman looked at him. She stopped at a step closer to him, her eyes sharp and her face transformed into disgust. 

“You,” Kikio said. “What are you doing here?”

“Passing by,” Naruto said, voice clipped. “Excuse me.”

He jogged down the stairs, stopping when she said, “Are you still with my Alpha?”

Her friends whispered behind her back and he closed his eyes. He turned to look at her before he searched her face. “None of your business, lady.”

“He’s mine,” she said, her eyes flashed in yellow to show her status. “I love him.”

Love. 

What did she know about love? He took in a deep breath, bitterness crawling up his throat. 

“Yeah, well,” Naruto said. “I doubt what you’re feeling is love.”

She frowned. “What do you know? You’re not an Omega. He’s wasting his time being with you. He should be with an Omega from a good family like me. You’re not good enough for him! You can’t even give him a family like how a woman like me can.”

That hurt. If he was lying, he would have brushed it off. But it hurt. “Maybe,” Naruto conceded. “But he chose me nevertheless. Not you when he tossed you out of our home.” 

Her cheeks reddened. “He’ll be mine one day. Once he gets tired of you and realises he can’t ignore this bond between us, he’ll come to me. And when that day comes, don’t regret it because I’ve warned you.”

She stormed away, her friends going after her, leaving Naruto to stare at where she had stood. A laugh escaped his lips as he sat down on the stairs and stared down. Wow, that really hurt. He knew as a Beta, he had his limitations. Even if he had some Omega genes in him, it didn’t negate the fact he couldn’t really be a complete person for his Alpha. He sighed, leaning his body against the handrails. Was it a mistake to not have let him go? 

He loved him too much to watch him walk away one day when the bond gets too much. 

His phone rang, loudly, breaking his heartache musing. Sasuke’s name flashed on his caller ID. He hesitated just for a brief moment before he answered it. 

“Where are you?” Sasuke said. “I’m getting in my car. I can come pick you up.”

“Nah,” Naruto said. “I’m going to go see Iruka. Might come back home tomorrow instead.”

Home. Sasuke was his home. He smiled a little. 

“Why?” Sasuke said. 

“Nothing, just miss him,” Naruto said, feigning a whine in his tone to sound normal. “I’ll see ya tomorrow, Sas.”

“Naruto—” He cut off the line and got up, patting the back of his pants. When his phone rang again, he switched his device off and continued his path downwards heading to the train station. 

He needed some time.

***

Iruka opened the door to a smiling Naruto. But he knew that his father could see through him. He opened the door wider and let him inside. Naruto walked to the couch where Kakashi was. The silver-haired man simply raised his eyebrow before he looked at Iruka and then back at the blond-haired Beta. 

“Hey, ‘Kashi,” Naruto said as he took a seat next to him. 

“Have you eaten, Naruto?” Iruka said from the kitchen. “I made curry today.”

“No, thank you!” he hollered back, thanking his old man when he brought him a glass of water. 

His ex-teacher and now father sat on one of the armchair, watching him with a warm smile on his face. He drank the water before sighing, wiping his mouth with the back of his mouth. Iruka’s smile froze on his face before he grabbed the Beta’s left hand. 

“What’s this?” Iruka said, shaking his hand in front of his eyes. 

Naruto’s cheeks pinked. “Ha…I’m engaged?”

Kakashi whistled from next to him. “The Uchiha moved forward after all.”

Naruto shrugged as he gently pulled his hand away from Iruka. “Wanted to see you both to tell you.”

He felt the words wearing out after saying it a bit too many times. 

“When did he propose to you?” Iruka asked, smiling. “Why didn’t you bring him over? I would have made something to celebrate.”

“Maa, Iruka,” Kakashi said. “Obviously these two are not getting along, that’s why.”

Iruka frowned, eyeing his husband before looking at Naruto. “Is that so?”

The Beta simply sighed, leaning further into the sofa. “It’s not that…” 

He glanced at Kakashi. The man before him was an Alpha and Iruka was a Beta. His relationship with Iruka was the same as his and Sasuke’s. Maybe he could get some advice, right? He bit his inner cheeks before he pushed himself to sit straighter. 

“Hey, Kakashi, have you met your True Pair yet?” The question left his lips, not realising the impact it had on the couple. 

Iruka’s eyes widened and Kakashi himself seemed to be taken aback by it. He stared at Naruto for a few seconds before he met Iruka’s eyes. He blinked before the corner of his eyes crinkled into amusement. 

“Ah,” Kakashi said. “Has Sasuke found his True Pair?”

Naruto pouted. “You didn’t answer my question.”

Kakashi hummed under his breath. “I have.”

Iruka nodded to confirm when Naruto turned to look at him. The blond-haired man remained quiet before he rubbed a hand down his face. 

“So, you chose Iruka at the end?” he said. 

“Yes,” Kakashi said, shrugging when Iruka’s cheeks reddened. “I’m not interested in Omegas.”

“I don’t get it,” Naruto said with a whisper. “Everyone else told me that Sasuke will go to her. That he’ll choose that Omega over me. Even though…”

“He chose you?” Iruka said, a smile on his face with understanding written all over them. “I know how you feel.”

“Maa, maybe this is best to be talked by you two,” Kakashi said as he stood up, raising his porn book eliciting a blush on Iruka’s face. “I have a new instalment to finish.”

“Perverted old man,” Naruto bit out as Kakashi waved and walked into his bedroom, door closing shut. He eyed Iruka, who moved to sit next to the Beta. “Iruka…how did you have the confidence he didn't go back to the Omega?”

“Because I believed in him,” Iruka said touching his hand. “But it wasn’t easy. I remember when I found out he met his True Pair. We were out on a date and he helped a woman from falling to the ground. It was all so romantic and I saw the connection the two made.”

Naruto winced. “And how did he…”

“He simply introduced me to her and told her that it can’t be possible, whatever it is she was hoping,” he said. “I didn’t believe him at first. We got into so many fights about it. Especially when the two of them continued to cross paths with each other. Because she was holding onto him.”

Iruka sighed. “I felt bad. I felt like I had stolen someone’s happy ending. But…look at us now.”

“What happened to the Omega?” 

“I don’t know,” Iruka said with a shrug. “Kakashi said he’s taken care of it. Told me that he rejected her so the bond won’t harm them both. I didn’t know that was possible but…he never went to her. He chose me at the end and I trust him.”

The blond haired man let that sink into his head. “So, trust him, is that it?”

“Trust is hard,” Iruka said. “Especially when people keep saying otherwise. All I’m saying is Naruto, if things has to end, then don’t regret not spending most of your time with him.” Iruka stood up, patting his head. “You’re staying here tonight, aren’t you? I’ll make the bed for you.”

Naruto contemplated what he was told. To think someone like Kakashi had stood by a Beta instead of being with an Omega that he was biologically fated with…it gave him a little hope that maybe, Sasuke and him could do the same. He tilted his head and stared at the ceiling. They needed a long talk before they could do anything about this. 

For now, he just wanted the comfort of his old bedroom and his family.

***

He yawned, his body ached as he opened his eyes into small slits. There was light in the room and with the shuffle coming from outside of his bedroom, he was sure that it was morning already. Sleepily, he buried his face into his pillow, squirming a little when he felt a tight grip around his waist and a wash of warmth along the length of his back. His mind took its time to connect the dots, to realise that he didn’t go to bed with something solid pressed against him. Snapping his eyes wide then, he turned his head to look over his shoulders, his body relaxing when he found Sasuke. 

The raven-haired man was sleeping, snoring softly under his breath. Naruto slowly turned around, waiting for the grip around his waist to tighten as the Alpha resettled back into sleep. He smiled, a tan hand touched his pale face, brushing some of his dark hair from his eyes. 

When had he gotten here? 

He wasn’t surprised to find Sasuke next to him. After all, the Alpha made a point to always go to bed with Naruto by his side ever since he could afford it. He wouldn’t admit it but Naruto knew it was because he could sleep better with the Beta by his side. And in reverse, it was true for him too. Sasuke’s nose scrunched cutely when Naruto poked his cheek. He chuckled when Sasuke sniffed once more, opening his eyes at last. 

His breath hitched in his throat when he saw the dark eyes. 

“Mornin’,” Naruto greeted, smiling softly. 

Sasuke continued to stare at him, almost blankly before he curled further into the Beta’s side, tossing a leg over his thighs. Naruto allowed him to be underneath the Alpha, placing a hand on the pale arm and caressing him. Iruka’s words floated in his mind from their talk last night. If one day he had to give this up, he wasn’t sure if he could recover from it. But not thinking about the future, he would enjoy this for now. 

It was a minute later, staying in this position before Sasuke yawned and opened his eyes again, staring at Naruto’s face once more. The pale hand on his hip tightened a fraction more, almost squeezing the blond-haired man. 

“Dude,” Naruto said, wincing. “My bladder, man. Don’t hug me too tight.”

“Idiot,” Sasuke whispered as he pulled his hand away, turning his body to lie on his back and yawned again. “What time is it?”

“Uh,” Naruto said, sitting up and wincing at the ache on his shoulder. Rubbing it, he grabbed his phone and stared at the time. “Ten in the morning.”

“Shit,” Sasuke whispered before he sighed. “Had a meeting two hours ago.”

Naruto’s eyes widened. “What?” he screeched, loudly. 

The Alpha flinched, tossing a narrowed-eyed look. “Don’t be so loud.”

His raspy voice in the morning had his stomach flip flopping and if Naruto had been in any other place, he would have kissed the man. Even if Sasuke protested about their morning breath but right now, all he could think was how this workaholic of a man was lying in his bed not panicking about his missed meeting. 

“What the hell are you still doing sleeping?” Naruto said, pushing the Alpha to get out of bed. “Your assistant must be panicking!”

“It’s fine,” Sasuke said as he grabbed Naruto by his arm and pulled him down to his chest. 

The Beta’s phone slipped and skidded on the floor. Plopping his head on the Alpha’s chest, his heart thundered. He tilted his head to look at Sasuke, cheeks growing hot at the smile crossing those pale lips. 

“I don’t think it’ll be fine when your assistant starts hyperventilating that her boss missed a meeting,” Naruto said, though he couldn’t help but to smile back. “Are you sure it’s fine?”

“It’s fine,” Sasuke said, wrapping his arms tight around Naruto. “Missed you.”

“I can see that,” Naruto said. “You’re not always this outspoken or affectionate in the mornings.”

Sasuke only ever got like this when he hadn’t seen the Beta in days, usually after a long business trip. He snuggled against the chest, not complaining about it. The Alpha hummed, his chest vibrating. 

“Why did you come here?” Sasuke asked, one hand running his fingers through the messy blond hair. 

Naruto didn’t feel like lying. “I wanted to ask Iruka some questions.”

“Is it about us?” Sasuke didn’t bother beating around the bush either. 

“Yeah.” Naruto clicked his tongue. “Gave me some things to think about.”

“That is?” 

The blond-haired man remained quiet for a few seconds before he sat up, staring at the Alpha. “I trust you. You know that, right?”

The Alpha nodded, lacing his own fingers and placing them on his stomach. “Of course.”

“I met Kikio last night,” Naruto said, causing Sasuke to tense. He placed a hand on the intertwined hands. “She kept insisting that you won’t be able to resist her when she goes into heat. That you won’t be able to resist the bond. That you’ll leave me…eventually.”

At that, the dark-haired man sat up, staring at him with narrowed eyes. “What else did she say?”

The Beta shrugged. “Sasuke, I’m not mad at her.”

“Why not?” Sasuke frowned. “She’s being a nuisance. I told her I don’t want her. I’m willing to get the bond dissolved if she’s adamant on disturbing us.”

“It’s not her fault or yours that fate tied you two together,” Naruto said, his breath hitching in his throat when he immediately found himself flat on his back and Sasuke looming over him. 

“I don’t like what you’re saying,” Sasuke said, both hands on each side of the Beta’s head. “You’re speaking as if you know I’m going to leave you.”

Naruto shook his head, pressing the palms of his hands on Sasuke’s chest. “I know you won’t.”

“Then why are we even talking about this?” Sasuke said. 

“Because it’s bothering me,” Naruto said, voice soft. “Because I can’t get it out of my head, Sasuke. I trust you. But I’m still scared.”

The Alpha remained staring at him before he dropped his forehead on Naruto’s chest. “Do you want to mate then? In my next rut, would you take the biting mark then?”

“You're going off your suppressants?” Naruto asked, a little surprised. 

Sasuke only ever went off of it once a year. Unlike an Omega, at least from what he learned, Alphas could suppress their ruts to just once a year rather than four times a year. And it usually helped when it was synched with an Omega’s heat. Naruto started experiencing Sasuke’s ruts when they had dated past three years. It was intense. It was hard. 

It sometimes got scary but Sasuke always took care not to go too far and he always listened when Naruto needed him to take it a bit slower. All the people saying a Beta could never handle a rut didn’t realise that he could handle Sasuke’s rut. Maybe it was due to him having Omega recessive genes but nevertheless. 

And now, the promise of a bite…

“Yeah,” Sasuke said, raising his head to look at him again. “If you want the bite sooner.”

He searched his face. “I…want it. But not if it’s forced upon us like now.”

Frustration coloured the dark-haired man’s face. “Then what do you want? I want you to be happy. I don’t want you to be worried about Kikio.”

“I don’t know either,” Naruto said with a sigh, placing a hand over his eyes. “I guess time? I…don’t know, Sasuke.”

“Fuck,” the Alpha cursed, pulling away to sit against the headboard. “I had so many things planned for this year. This shit just had to get in the way.”

Naruto dropped his hand to his side and stared at the ceiling. “I feel like I lost, nevertheless. I guess I’ve always been feeling inferior about being a Beta.”

“I wouldn’t have cared even if you were an Alpha,” Sasuke said with a sigh. 

Naruto pushed himself up on his elbows, smiling. “I know.”

“Time, you say,” the dark-haired man said, leaning his chin on his palm. “Fine. You’ll get time.”

“Sorry, Sas,” Naruto said as he sat down properly and touched the Alpha’s free hand. “Sorry I’m having a hard time with this.”

“Don’t apologise,” he said, his voice soft. “Just tell me if you need anything else from me. I…I’m not going anywhere.”

Naruto only squeezed his hand.

***

Time was what he got. He didn’t know why he suddenly found himself unable to let this go and move on. Sasuke had also started sticking by Naruto a lot more often, as if he was—scared that one day, he would just disappear. And in some way, that thought had crossed his mind every time he remembered Kikio. At night, Sasuke would make sure he literally had half of his body weight weighing the Beta down as if that would keep him from leaving. And in the day, he would call a million times if he was at work or come personally see the Beta in school if he had time to spare. 

Naruto sipped his bottle of Coke, his finger tapping on his teacher’s desk. Sakura sat next to him, marking her papers but making no move to talk to him. They had been awkward with each other since the fall out a week ago and…frankly, Naruto missed her. 

Before he could think twice, he had kicked her chair, causing her red pen to skid across the paper in a long line. She raised her head to stare at him, blinking a few times before Naruto gave her a cautious smile. That was enough for her shoulders to relax and a smile to cross her lips. Just before she slammed her knuckles against his shoulder. Hard. 

“That fucking hurts!” Naruto exclaimed, rubbing his arm.

She grinned. “That’s for ruining my marking streak.” After a beat, her grin dimmed and her eyes filled with apology. “I’m sorry about the other day, Naruto. You’re right…I shouldn’t have said those things. I wanted to apologise to you a few times but…I always felt…awful.”

“It’s fine,” Naruto said, waving his hand. “It’s in the past.”

“I’m still sorry,” Sakura said. “I wouldn’t like it if someone told me that about Lee if I was in your position, so I shouldn't have done it to you.”

“It’s fine, Sakura,” the Beta said, smiling. “Thank you, though.”

The pink-haired lady nodded before she tilted her head. “So, what’s going on? I’ve seen Sasuke visiting you for the past five days now.”

And Naruto told her every single thing. He told her about his doubts. About how he felt like he lost. How he trusted Sasuke but he couldn’t help but feel scared. And by the end of it all, he was exhausted and his eyes were a little watery. Sakura remained looking at him before she patted his shoulder. 

“Naruto,” she said, catching his eyes. “You know that Iruka-sensei is right. You have to make the best of the time you have with him. Plus, as much as I dislike your boyfriend…he never once lied to you.”

“He did lie once,” Naruto said. “About that night why he came home late. It wasn’t a meeting…or it was but it was a meeting with that Omega.”

“Only to reject her, right?” Sakura said, earning a nod from the Beta. “You have to properly trust him and forget about that woman. She doesn’t know how strong you two are. I mean, I was sceptical too and then found out he proposed to you.”

“He even wanted to bite me and told me he would go off suppressants if I wanted the bite sooner,” Naruto said, cheeks flushing when the green eyes sparkled. 

“Well, the Uchiha certainly wants to claim you fast now that he’s ready,” Sakura said before she hummed. “Or I guess he’s afraid.”

“Afraid?” Naruto said. “Afraid of what?”

“Of losing you,” Sakura said, halting his thoughts. “He sounds desperate. Like he wants to make sure you stay by him forever.”

“He won’t lose me,” Naruto said, not even hesitating. “If anyone might leave…wouldn’t it be him?”

“I doubt it,” Sakura said. “I think he always knew how unfair he’s being at times. And now that…this happened, he probably wants to hold you down as quickly as possible so you won’t leave him.”

He let that sink into his head. He never thought about it that way. He always assumed that Sasuke would leave him one day if he got too tired with his demands. And hence, why he would find himself holding back what he really thought. He wondered when was the last time he had been a hundred percent honest about what he wanted. It made sense now, why Sasuke started clinging onto him. 

The Uchiha wouldn’t admit it but Naruto had never seen him get this clingy before. The last time he had done this it was when they found out that they were going to two different universities. Sasuke had been unbearable to deal with back then and they had compromised on visiting each other once every two weeks. Their relationship almost strained and broke because of how much pressure they had with not seeing each other and school. But they managed past it. 

As Naruto looked at his ring, he realised that they could go through this as well. 

It was another obstacle in their path to their ultimate happy ending. Another to just pass through.

***

“I’m going to dissolve the bond with her,” Sasuke said as he munched on his grilled tomato. 

Naruto froze, his chopsticks midway shoving noodles into his mouth. His eyes grew wide as he stared at the Alpha who was eating as if he hadn’t dropped the bomb. Lowering the chopsticks, he blinked a few times before he hummed. 

“With Kikio?” he said, the name still tasting bitter in his mouth. 

“Yes,” Sasuke said. “I didn’t want to admit it but there is some kind of link between us. I hate it. I’m getting rid of it.”

It…didn’t surprise Naruto that there was something between them. He had guessed that that was the case. He leaned against his chair as he played with the chopsticks, tapping them against his bowl. Sasuke raised his dark eyes to look at him, waiting for the Beta to speak. 

“How did you find out you have a bond with her?” he asked, his eyes fixed on the table. 

“Naruto,” Sasuke said, “look at me.”

The Beta did just that. “I’m fine,” he said, answering Sasuke’s unanswered question. “I’m…I just didn’t like hearing that.”

The dark-haired man nodded. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“You’ve been apologising a lot lately,” Naruto said, smiling for a brief second. “It almost feels like you’ve done something wrong.”

“It’s because it’s hurting you,” Sasuke said, his voice low. 

Naruto shrugged. “I knew one day you would meet your True Pair. I…just didn’t realise it can happen so soon, I guess.” He sighed. “I said I need time to get over this. But I’m not sure myself why it’s taking so long.”

Sasuke remained quiet for a few seconds. “I don’t want to lose you over this.”

Naruto snapped his gaze on him, surprised at the admission. The dark eyes were serious. “Lose me?”

“You’re distancing yourself away from me,” Sasuke said, hitting the nail on the head. “I don’t like it. You might not realise it but you don’t speak and babble about things like you used to. You don’t touch me like you used to. It’s like you’re…going away. Or preparing to leave me.” 

“I’m not leaving you,” Naruto said. 

“But it feels like you are,” Sasuke said and for the first time in his life, he heard the hitch in his lover’s voice. “It feels like I’m going to wake up one day and find you gone.”

Naruto scrambled to stand up and walked to where the Alpha was. Before the dark-haired man could say anything else, he placed a hand on the table and leaned in close to press his lips against the Alpha’s. Sasuke wrapped his arm around the tan man’s waist and pulled him to his lap, their lips still attached together. When Naruto pulled away, placing both elbows on the table behind him, he smiled. 

“You won’t,” the Beta said, though he could see the wariness in Sasuke’s eyes. 

Had he been that distant after all to cause that thought to plant in his lover’s head? He reached to cradle the other man’s jaw, pressing his lips at the corner of the pale ones, brushing their noses together. Sasuke seemed vulnerable. Tired and scared. The Beta wrapped his arms around the shoulders and buried his nose against Sasuke’s shoulder, relaxing into the embrace when the Alpha returned the hug. 

“You won’t lose me, Sasuke,” Naruto whispered against him. “I don’t know why I’m like this.”

A hand rubbed his back, almost soothingly. “I’m breaking off my bond with her tomorrow morning. She doesn’t know it but…I have to do this. Even if it’s without her consent.”

Naruto pulled away at that, eyes wide. “Without her consent?”

Sasuke nodded. “She won’t agree to this. I’ll just have to take the choice away from her.”

“Sasuke, no,” Naruto said pressing his hands on his cheeks. “You can’t do that! That woman has every right as the next person. Can you even do that?”

“I can if I take her off guard. This is my life,” Sasuke said, his eyes sharp. “I will not have a bond with anyone else but with you. I don’t care about her.”

“She’s still a human being!” Naruto said. “You can’t take away someone’s choice just like that! She has every right to agree or disagree to this dissolve.”

“If I don’t do this, I’ll really be stuck with her, Naruto!” Sasuke exclaimed, his voice loud. 

That stilled the blond-haired man’s heart. “What?”

The Alpha thinned his lips. “She’ll come looking for me. She’ll suffer through her heats because her body has realised I’m the Alpha for her. I admit, there’s this weird sensation in my chest the longer I’m away from her. It’s confusing the hell out of my instincts and I hate it. I only want you.”

“Does your instincts want her?” Naruto asked, hushed. 

“Naruto, you’re not—”

“Does it?” The Beta’s heart broke when Sasuke averted his eyes and nodded once. He scrambled away from his lap and took a few steps back. “I need air.”

“Naruto,” Sasuke said, standing up. “Don’t. Please.”

It was rare for the Uchiha to beg. And when he did, it usually meant he was serious. So, Naruto stopped moving and looked at him. There was this sense of fear clouding his mind. The words of what Sakura and what Kikio had said floated back into his mind. 

And the blaring noise of voices unanimously saying: They were right. 

He bit his bottom lip as his eyes filled with tears. He sat down on the ground and hunched forward, covering his face with his palms. He was tired of this ache in his chest and he just wanted Sasuke to be his already. The Alpha crouched in front of him, hands circling his wrists. 

“That’s why I need to dissolve this bond,” Sasuke said, whispering. “I don’t want her. My instincts are just all over the place because of this stupid bond created by chance of meeting her. If I got rid of it, everything will be alright again.”

“But you belong to her,” Naruto said, voice croaking as he stared at their hands. “You don’t belong to me anymore.”

“That’s not it,” Sasuke said, his voice shaking. “You can’t believe that.”

“I,” Naruto said as a few tears ran down his cheeks. “I’m so scared. I didn’t want you to want her. I just want you to be mine always. I feel so horrible when I think about how she must’ve feel to know how I stole her Alpha. But at the same time, I feel upset that I’m not an Omega myself so I can be yours.”

“You _are_ mine,” the raven-haired man said, catching his chin and tilting his head back so their eyes met. “This is just the fucked up world we live in. But it doesn’t mean I’ll cave in to it. You’re mine, Naruto. Beta, Omega or Alpha.”

It was then Naruto burst out crying, hugging Sasuke tight. “I’m scared that biology will win at the end.”

“That’s stupid,” Sasuke whispered against him, one hand buried in his hand. “No biology can break me away from you. You’ve always been the only one who could read me. The only one who pulled me out of the bubble my family had placed around me. You were the only one who loved me for all my flaws and frankly outrageous demands. I fell in love with you because of who you are. There’s no one else better than you for me.”

Naruto nodded against him, his heart feeling light at the words. “I don’t want this stupid bond between you two. You’re mine, goddamnit.”

Sasuke pressed his lips at the temple of his head. “You finally said it. You’ve never been selfish to me. Never demanded me anything.”

“Yeah, well, I’m being selfish now,” Naruto said through his gasps. “Can’t lose you, Sasuke.”

“You won’t, idiot,” Sasuke said, as he hugged him tighter. “Not going to let you go.”

***

Naruto found himself standing in front of the hospital where the bond dissolving process was going to happen. Sasuke had been adamant on bringing the Beta with him and to be honest, he was relieved that he was about to follow him to it. Sasuke was leaning against his car as he waited for the Omega to show up. He was playing with his phone while his other hand was interlaced with Naruto’s. The blond-haired man couldn’t stand still though. 

Half of his heart was ready to get this over with and have Sasuke back with him. All by himself. But then…the less selfish part of him didn't like what they were about to do to this Omega. It wasn’t her fault. She probably grew up with ideas of falling in love with her soulmate. And Naruto was here, taking that choice away from her. 

He bit his bottom lip, looking at his lover when Sasuke squeezed their hands. Without looking up from his phone, the Alpha said, “Don’t think so much about it.”

Naruto nodded as he took in a deep breath. It was then he saw Kikio coming out of a car and…a man followed her. Sasuke pulled out his sunglasses from his eyes, tucking it on his shirt, his posture straightening. His heart hammered against his chest as the well dressed man, power radiating in his steps, moved to stand in front of Sasuke. 

“What is the meaning of this?” the older man said, his voice rough. 

“Mr Katsuki,” Sasuke said, nodding. “What brings you here?”

Maybe it was because of the nonchalance in the Alpha’s voice, but Mr Katsuki’s face turned red. He grabbed Sasuke’s shirt, dragging him close. Naruto, alarmed, immediately touched the man’s hand. Sasuke simply grabbed the Beta’s wrist and gently pulled it away, giving him a glance that told him to stay back from this. 

“You know why, Uchiha,” Mr Katsuki said. “I find out you’re here to dissolve the True Pair bond between you and my daughter. I won’t allow this. My daughter will not be strung along like this!”

“If you could let me go, we may talk about this,” Sasuke said, calmly. “Now.”

Mr Katsuki tightened his grip on the collar before he pushed the younger Alpha away. Sasuke simply adjusted his clothes before he looked at Kikio and then at the man. 

“How dare you try to embarrass us,” Mr Katsuki said. “She deserves her True Pair Alpha.” It was then the man’s eyes met Naruto’s. “And you cohabiting with a Beta is disgraceful. Does your father know what you’re up to?”

“I’m a grown ass man,” Sasuke said. “I make my choices and my parents just have to accept it.”

“You bring shame to the family name!” He pointed at Naruto. “A _Beta_ can never be as good to you as my daughter can. You’re lucky to have even have a True Pair bond with her. How dare you try to ruin this for her? It can even be a beneficial tie for your future.”

Naruto’s chest turned cold at that. He was aware that Kikio was a daughter of one of the shareholders of Sasuke’s company. But he never thought that it could be a way for his Alpha to create a good stability for the company. Now…it seemed like the stakes were higher. 

“That _Beta_ ,” Sasuke said, spatting out. “Is better than a mere Omega like her.”

“ _Sasuke_ ,” Naruto said, eyes wide. 

“How dare you!” Mr Katsuki said. 

“I want to dissolve the bond because I am going to marry the one I love and bond with him,” Sasuke said. “I don’t love your daughter. I never will. Regardless the benefits, I’m sure it isn’t large enough to give up my happiness for it.” 

Mr Katsuki looked like someone had punched him. Kikio had tears in her eyes as her bottom lip wobbled. 

“I’ve always dreamt that one day I’ll meet my Alpha,” she said, catching their attention. “I was happy to find out it’s you. I wanted you. How…I’ll be good to you. I’ll be better. I…please don’t make me give up my Alpha.” Her plead turned to Naruto. “ _Please_. Please, you can have anyone else. But I _need_ him. I want him. He’s mine, he’s made to be mine. _Please_.” 

And she did something that he didn’t think she would ever do. She went down on her knees and bowed. Naruto immediately crouched down to touch her, eyes burning with tears at the scene in front of him. 

“Look what you have done to my daughter!” Mr Katsuki said. “She has never begged for anything in her life. You made her do this!”

“Naruto, get up,” Sasuke said, his voice still calm, unaffected. 

But Naruto couldn’t. He couldn’t as this Omega before him cried and begged. His heart broke into pieces and his mind clouded with confusion and frustration…and pain. He touched her shoulders, trying to get her to stop. 

“Naruto,” Sasuke said as he grabbed his arm and pulled him up. “Stand up.”

“Sasuke,” Naruto said, pulling himself away from his grasp. “I…Please, make her stop.”

The Alpha thinned his lips as he searched the Beta’s face. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. With a curse under his breath, he crouched in front of the Omega. “Kikio, get up.”

“I won’t,” she said, voice shaking. “Not until you agree to stop this.”

“Don’t be a disgrace,” he hissed, causing an enraged noise from Mr Katsuki. “You shouldn’t throw your pride away for a man who doesn’t want you. Stand up.”

The Omega raised her head, tear tracks on her face. Sasuke searched her face before he stood up, taking a step away from her. Naruto’s heart stuttered in his chest as she finally got up, her shoulders shaking. Looking small…helpless. As if he had ruined her life. 

“There won’t be another like you,” she sobbed out. “There won’t be a connection like this if you take this away from me.”

“I don’t love you and I never will,” Sasuke said. “I don’t even react to Omegas in heat.”

That earned a gasp from Kikio. “What?”

“I’m a defective Alpha,” Sasuke said, his face carefully blank. “You can find someone better than me. I have too many flaws. I hate too many things. I make things, everything really, difficult. No one in my entire life, not even my own parents, could handle what I throw at them.” He grabbed Naruto’s hand. “He was the only one. He’s the only one who saw me for me. And I had already given up my entire heart to him. It’s hurting me every time I look at him and see the sadness in his eyes and the helplessness because he wasn’t an Omega.” 

Naruto couldn’t let this go on. He needed to say something. Anything. He wanted to try and make Kikio see that as selfish as this was going to sound, he couldn’t give her Alpha up. He croaked out, “I’m sorry, Kikio. But I can’t give him up. He’s mine. I only have so many people in my life that I truly trust and love. And he’s one of them. He’s my…family. I can’t give up my family. Not even for his True Pair.”

Kikio’s eyes were wide as she stared at them. “I…can’t give up without a fight.”

“Kikio,” Sasuke said but stopped when Kikio shook her head. 

“It’s not fair! I can’t give up like this,” she said, her eyes brimming with tears again. She took in a deep breath and said, “One heat with me. Stay one heat with me. And…if you really don’t react to me…then I’ll dissolve the bond with you.”

Naruto closed his eyes shut at that request. 

“Please,” Kikio said. “I need to see it for myself. If I really can’t make you mine…then I’ll let you go.”

“Even after I told you everything,” Sasuke said, voice stiff. “You want me to disrespect my mate by spending the heat with you?”

“I just need proof,” she said. “And until then, I won’t do this bond dissolving procedure.”

“I don’t think you have any idea what you’re trying to negotiate here,” Sasuke hissed. 

“Don’t _threaten_ my daughter, Uchiha,” Mr Katsuki said. 

Before Sasuke could say anything else, Kikio walked away. Naruto opened his eyes to Mr Katsuki’s glare as the pair left them alone in the carpark. He shuddered as he pulled away from Sasuke’s touch, rubbing his face. They remained silent for a while. What else was there to say? 

His worst fears were confirmed right before his eyes. Sasuke sighed from next to him, his hand running through his raven-coloured hair. He knew that the Alpha wanted to speak to him about it. But truthfully, he needed to arrange his thoughts about this matter. The tiredness of this mess weighed deep in his bones. Glancing at his lover, he decided to keep his mouth shut for now.

***

The ride back home had been terrifyingly silent. With his heart heavy in his chest and words becoming a jumbled mess in his mind, Naruto was unsure of where to begin. How was he to approach this subject? With a trembling disposition of his current standing, it was like he was back to square one. Brief moments of being assured that he was irreplaceable now felt like they meant nothing. Perhaps it was unfair he thought that way of Sasuke. 

It, after all, showed how shaky his resolutions of his love for the Alpha was. Even though, that wasn’t it. He loved him too much, he supposed. Too much that he was willing to let him go. Shaking fingers opened the door to their home, a home that smelt like the both of them and carried memories of their lives together. Stepping into the dark apartment, he switched on the lights and tossed his shoes haphazardly at the hallway. 

Grabbing a glass from the rack and overflowing it water, he tipped his head back and swallowed every drop of it down his dry throat. When he slammed it on the edge of his sink, taking in a deep breath, it was then his senses sharpened once more to the reality he was in. He turned around, leaning his back against the edge of the marbled counter. Sasuke had his hands shoved in his jean pockets, his almost-black eyes bored into his blue eyes. 

The pale lips opened and a shot of panic thrummed in his veins. 

“You should do it,” Naruto said before he could stop himself. 

The shift in the air was hard to ignore. Sasuke’s eyes sharpened. His posture was straighter and his shoulders tensed. A fight was inevitable, the Beta realised. His heart that had already sunk to the pit of his stomach continued to weigh like a ton of bricks. Dragging his blunt nails through his hair, against his scalp, he let the small sparks of pain keep his feet rooted to the situation they were in. 

He should take back what he said. It was spoken out of panic. Out of nervousness, after all. But even more frighteningly, he found that he didn’t want to. 

Even as he saw the shadow of anger and hurt colouring the dark eyes he loved so much, he found himself standing by what he said. Kikio’s face with tears marking her cheeks flashed into his mind. Resolutely reminding himself of how helpless he was to biology. He bowed his head, averting his gaze to the floor. 

“Is that what you want?” Sasuke said, his voice low. 

If Naruto flinched and the Alpha saw it, he made no move to remark. He made no move to pull apart his thoughts like he usually did. And briefly, the blond-haired man wondered if he was just as tired as he was of it. What a goddamn coward he was being. How had his spitfire personality dimmed into something so…docile? 

He lifted his head, thinning his lips. “It doesn’t matter what I want.”

The redness that was bleeding past the black eyes spoke volumes of the emotions floating in the air. One wrong move, one wrong word and he would lose the control he had over this conversation. But maybe that was what they needed. Maybe they needed to forget the tight grip they had to be rational and just speak. Toss out every thought they had about this situation and get it out there. 

Sasuke took a step closer to him. “That’s stupid. This has everything to do with you.”

“You told me it doesn’t once,” Naruto said, the corners of his lips lifting for a brief moment. “And now it does?”

The Alpha made a noise of irritation. “Why are you trying so hard to push me away?” 

It was the same question he had been asking himself. He rubbed the back of his neck. The truth was somewhere hidden deep inside of his mind. All he had to do was to find it. But he didn’t. Because he was afraid of what he would discover in the depths of the places he once had hidden away. 

“I’m not,” Naruto said, but it only earned a scoff. 

Sasuke continued to lessen the distance between them before he touched the Beta’s other hand. His fingers were tight around his wrist, as if he wanted to ground him. As if he wanted to stop the thoughts in his head and just listen to him. And desperately, Naruto wished it worked. 

“I’m not going to do that shit with her,” the Alpha hissed. “I am not going to lower myself to her whims.”

“You’re her Alpha—”

“I’m _your_ boyfriend,” Sasuke said, his words were sharp. Sharp enough that they dug deep in Naruto’s mind. “Or did you forget that?”

“I didn’t.” After a beat he added, “But it doesn’t negate the fact that you’re her True Pair Alpha. She had every right to ask for you. You…yourself said you want her.”

“My instincts want her,” Sasuke said, almost too calmly. “Not me. Not my person. And only because biology decided we are compatible. I don’t need biology.”

The underlying problem still remained that he was taking away someone’s True Pair. “I’m a Beta.”

“I’m an Alpha,” Sasuke said, nodding. “They don’t rule us.”

“In this world, they do.” 

Sasuke frowned. His stare bored into Naruto’s soul and almost left a scorching hole behind. A few seconds of silence passed as they didn’t make another move to speak. 

It was then the Alpha spoke, in the most hurt voice he had ever heard from him, “Do you not want me anymore? Am I too late?”

He immediately snapped his gaze to the man he loved, heart stuttering into a momentary stop when he noticed the emotions swirling in those orbs. “I love you, Sasuke. There’s no way I don’t want you.”

“Then why the hell are you telling me to sleep with another person?” Sasuke’s grip on his wrist tightened a fraction more. 

“I’m not asking you to sleep with her,” Naruto said, biting his inner cheek from being too explosive. “She’s not going to let you go, Sasuke. And you said your instincts want her. If…Maybe…I…”

What was he truly trying to say here? 

The Alpha let go of his wrist. “You don’t trust me after all.”

His heart crushed in his chest at those words. He shook his head, denying that. Because that wasn’t it. “I do trust you,” Naruto said. “I do.”

Sasuke simply stared at him. “You don’t trust yourself, then. You don’t trust yourself to be enough for me. Even after everything I said and did.” He took a step back, rubbing a hand over his chin. “I guess it’s my fault for not having proposed to you sooner. Or decided to wait for the storm at home to slow a little so I could introduce you to them.”

“Sasuke,” Naruto said, trying to grab the Alpha’s hand only to be rebuffed. “I…”

“I’m not going to share a heat with her,” Sasuke said. “I don’t care if she’s suffering. She heard what I had to say.”

Her tear-streaked face and her begging on her knees for the Alpha appeared in his mind again and he stiffened. Guilt. The guilt that he had caused that even if it wasn’t his fault speared into his consciousness. Something must have shown on his face before Sasuke looked offended. His eyebrows were furrowed and the frown on his face deepened. 

“Sasuke,” Naruto began but was stopped when Sasuke grabbed his hips and pulled him close, silencing him with a kiss. 

The Beta froze. Just for a few seconds before he kissed him back, his heart racing in his chest. He touched the hands on his body, clenching on the fingers before Kikio’s face flashed behind his eyelids. Tearing his lips away from him and pushing the Alpha away in shock, he breathed out heavily. Sasuke looked a little stunned at what happened before his face morphed into anger. Pure anger and frustration. 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Sasuke snarled, starling Naruto. “Do you really want me to go to her when she’s having her heat just to prove a point that I don’t want her?”

The blond-haired man wiped his lips with the back of his hands, avoiding his Alpha’s eyes. It was hard to say what line he had crossed, not when he no longer enabled a filter between his head and his mouth. 

“If you truly want me and don’t want her, you would be fine doing this one demand and not be affected by her heat,” Naruto said, immediately earning an incredulous look from the other man. 

“You’re serious,” Sasuke whispered. 

The blond-haired man knew he had dug himself into a hole. He gritted his teeth, standing up straighter, to convey his true thoughts but all he saw was the…betrayal and hurt completely dominating his lover’s eyes. Stunned at the image he made, Naruto reeled back as if he had been slapped. 

“Sasuke…” Naruto whispered, his breath hitching in his throat as a mask covered the Alpha’s face, erasing himself of all emotions from showing. “I keep seeing her in my mind. What am I supposed to do? What if you regret it?”

“Regret what?” Sasuke hissed. 

“Regret that you didn’t give her a chance!” Naruto yelled. “What if she’s the only Omega in the world who could get you and your Alpha instincts? What if she’s the only one whose heats you can stand?”

Deadly, poisonous almost, silence washed into the scene. “I think you’re being fucking stupid.”

Naruto winced. “Maybe…but every time you touch me, that’s all I can think about.”

“I can’t believe you,” Sasuke muttered.

“Go, Sasuke,” Naruto said under his breath. “I…I can’t rest easy if…”

“Nine years, Naruto,” Sasuke said. “You want to test me even though we’ve been together for nine years.”

“That’s before you found your Omega,” Naruto said. “What right do I have to stand in between you and her if it’s meant to be?”

“Bullshit,” Sasuke spat out. He took in a deep breath. “Fine,” Sasuke said, his words venomous. “If that’s what you want, I’ll spend the heat with her. Don’t regret if something does happen.”

The words hurt. Naruto’s knees buckled and he slid to the ground when the Alpha stormed out of the house, front door slamming closed, echoing. He curled his knees against his chest and pressed his forehead against them, forcing himself to take in deep breaths. He had done this to them because he couldn’t believe in himself. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Sasuke. 

He just didn’t trust himself to keep Sasuke here if biology was at work. 

He couldn’t stop the thoughts of insecurities from wrapping around him like a blanket. Kikio was different from him from head to toe. What if Sasuke found the one Omega who could make him feel something? He admitted his instincts wanted her—what was to say that he himself wouldn’t want her if he let it happen after all?

Naruto couldn’t stand by and take that away from a fated pair. 

It didn’t feel right, regardless how his own happiness might be on the line. 

Would Sasuke understand him if he poured out his innermost thoughts? 

Maybe not. 

The guilt now turned into remorse and acidic hatred. At himself. He was an idiot. It was a miracle Sasuke even stayed this long. 

Had he done the right thing pushing him away? He didn’t know. But his body craved the Alpha back as soon as he was gone. He wanted to get up and go after him, go down on his knees and beg for forgiveness and have him back in his arms. 

He closed his eyes and counted the number of times he had failed in his life because he ruined it with his own hands. This could be the umpteenth time.

***

The house was lonelier and colder without Sasuke. Naruto wasn’t a fool to think he would see him so soon after their fight. This was one of their biggest ones yet, and it wasn’t even accompanied by things being thrown around. They were explosive. But every time, they orbited around each other like moths attracted to a flame. It was supposed to be beautiful. 

But Naruto let his own insecurities get the better of him and ruined it. As he twirled around the engagement ring, he let out a bitter chuckle as his eyes burned with unshed tears. He eyed his phone on the bed next to him. It had been almost a week since he last spoke to the Alpha and he wondered how he was doing. 

The tiny part of his brain that hated him threw his insecurities back at his face. Told him that he probably realised Kikio was indeed better and had stayed with her. Maybe Sasuke found truth in his fears and realised she could entice him with her scent, could even love her better than he could ever do it with Naruto. He closed his eyes tight, shaking his head. 

It was then the doorbell to his house rang. He huffed a breath and pushed himself out of bed, wearing one of Sasuke’s hoodies. He wiped his eyes using the oversized sleeves and head to the front door. Opening it, he stared right into a pair of dark eyes, one that reminiscent of his beloved’s. Only, these eyes belonged to his older brother; Itachi. 

“Naruto,” Itachi said with a tilt of his head. “May I come in?”

“Sure,” Naruto said, opening the door wider and allowing the taller man to walk through. He closed the door shut and walked into the living room, slumping on his sofa. “What brought you here, Itachi?”

“You know why,” the other Alpha of the Uchiha descendant spoke, taking a seat on one of the armchairs. 

Naruto’s cheeks reddened and his eyes watered again at the reminder of how broken they currently were. He averted his gaze to his lap, his shoulders hunching closer to his chest. 

“Sasuke, right?” Naruto whispered. 

“Yes. I heard what happened from him.”

The Beta looked at him. “So, he’s been crashing at your place, huh?” When Itachi nodded, he stood up, deciding if they needed to talk about this, he should get something to drink. “Do you want anything to drink?”

“No, thank you,” Itachi said with a sense of politeness that had always made Naruto feel like a barbarian. 

Grabbing a glass of water, he joined the older man in the living room, once again taking his spot on the couch. After he took a few sips of the water, he placed the glass on the coffee table. 

“I usually don’t mind my baby brother staying at my place,” Itachi said. “But he’s been in such a snit that it’s taking all of my patience to not toss him out already.”

Naruto could imagine. A smile crossed his lips at that before it died. Because he was the reason that Sasuke was in such a mood. 

“Sorry, Itachi,” Naruto said, guilt flashing in his eyes. “I didn’t mean to drag you into this mess too.”

Itachi simply looked at him, offering a brief smile before he said, “Sasuke has told me that he’s found his True Pair Omega. And that she refuses to break the bond until he’s shared her heat.” 

The Beta winced at the wording, giving him a nod. “He’s told you that much.”

“He also told me you’ve told him to sleep with that Omega.” Itachi’s tone was neutral but Naruto had detected the underlying confusion in them. 

He sighed, sinking into the cushions. “I didn’t. At least, that’s not what I meant.”

“Hmm?”

“I trust him,” Naruto said. “I trust him when he tells me I’m the only one he wants at the end.” He pushed himself to sit straighter. “But she’s his fated Omega. What if he regrets this chance? This chance to find out if she’s his exception.”

“I assume you’re speaking about his inability to stand Omegas in heat,” Itachi said, looking contemplative. “While my brother dislikes Omegas, I admit I’m curious about his reaction to that woman as well.”

“See?” Naruto said.

“And what happens if my brother does react to her?” Itachi said, catching his attention. “If he does something to her during her heat and has to take responsibility?” He pointed a finger at the ring on the blond-haired man’s hand. “Will you be able to let him go?”

He remained silent. Stretching his clenched fingers, he twirled the ring. “I have to, don’t I?”

“A very noble thing for you to do,” Itachi said. “Sacrificing your own happiness for my brother’s wellbeing.”

“Yeah, well—”

“You don’t see your own worth, do you?” Itachi leaned on his knees, smiling wider at the surprised look on the blond-haired man’s face. 

“My worth?” Naruto scrunched his nose and furrowed his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“You don’t see how much you mean to the people around you,” Itachi said, shrugging.

That stunned Naruto. Of course he knew that he was…worth it. He just…

Realisation dawned on the blond-haired man then as he continued to stare at Itachi. Because, that was it. When Sasuke had accused of him not believing in himself, it wasn’t because he meant he doubted Naruto’s feelings for him. No. It was because the Alpha saw how he viewed himself. 

As merely a Beta. As merely someone who wasn’t…good enough. 

That was it, at the end of the day. That was what was bothering him all this time. The feeling of not being good enough for the man he loved. The fear that someone better would come along and take his place. It had been nine years since they were together. But the fear was still there.

“It isn’t that…”

“Isn’t it?” The older Alpha raised his eyebrows. “Tell me, Naruto. If my brother gets her pregnant and has to marry her, would you be able to look him in the eyes and wish him well.”

That struck a chord in his chest. 

“To be able to become his friend, or maybe even less?” The man continued with a hum. “To return the ring you have and to watch him put another ring on someone else’s hand. All because you couldn’t envision yourself to be happy with him.”

“Why are you saying that?” Naruto questioned, his voice shaking as his eyes filled with tears once more. “I know I’m being stupid. I know I’m being irrational. But he’s found his True Pair Omega, Itachi. I can’t give him what he needs that she can.”

“Secondary genders aren’t everything,” Itachi said, his voice sharp. “True Pairs aren’t guaranteeing a happily ever after.”

“Maybe not,” Naruto whispered. “But if he doesn’t try—”

“Did you know that I didn’t approve of him being with you when I caught you two kissing in his room that one time?” Itachi said, catching him off guard. 

“What?” Naruto said with a frown. 

“I told my brother that you were everything that we avoid,” Itachi said. “Too loud. Too brash. Too honest. We Uchihas don’t like anything too—everything.” After a beat he said, “But Sasuke said something to me that day that made me realise that maybe you are exactly what he needed. He told me he feels like he can be just himself, without any of the restrictions our Father has put on him when he’s with you.”

“He said that?” Naruto said, searching the older man’s face for any lies. 

“I warned him, of course, about the fact that he would meet his Omega one day,” Itachi said. “And he told me resolutely, at the age of seventeen that he was never going to marry anyone else but you.” 

Naruto’s breath hitched in his throat at that. “At seventeen?”

“At seventeen,” Itachi said. “My brother has always been a planner. He’s known all his life you will be the one for him. Even if it has taken him this long to make it happen. I’m not saying all of this for you to change your mind. Maybe at the end, it would be better if he marries a woman of her standings. It certainly will reflect on our family name better than him marrying a Beta. A nobody Beta.” 

“Itachi—”

“But, I wonder if it’ll be worth it,” Itachi said. “After all…the only person in his life that made him feel more than just a man with a knot has now treated him as such.”

The tears escaped his eyes, running down his cheeks. Naruto averted his eyes and wiped them away as quickly as they appeared, heart aching in his chest. The guilt he had felt transformed into remorse. Because he had no idea what he had truly done. Not until Itachi had to tell him. He hunched forward, replaying the hurt look on Sasuke’s face when he had told him to go to her. Out of the fear he would regret being a Beta, he had failed to see that he was hurting the Alpha too. 

“I didn’t mean it,” Naruto said, biting his bottom lip. “I just want the best for him.”

Itachi placed a small note of paper, an address on it. He pushed it towards the Beta before he stood up. “Her heat apparently begins tomorrow. If you truly want to save my brother from making the worst mistake in his life because of your inability to see how good you are to him, then go to this place.”

With shaking hands, he picked the paper up, heart hammering against his chest. Before he could look at Itachi to thank him, to apologise for what he had done, the man had walked out of his home. He huffed a breath as he wiped the remainders of his tears away. 

It was his fault if Sasuke left him for good. He hadn’t listened to the man. He hadn’t opened his eyes to see that secondary genders weren’t everything. He might still have a hard time believing that he was worth…everything to the Alpha but those were issues that were rooted deep inside himself. He stood up, running his fingers through his hair. 

He missed Sasuke. 

And while there was still a part of him that was scared to ruin the Alpha’s chance for what was good for him, the man was his family. Had been the only constant in his life that mattered the most. With him gone, everything seemed dull, different. It was like Naruto’s feet was pulled from under a rug. All because he had been too scared biology would interfere. 

All the fears that he didn’t think—or he had fooled himself into thinking he didn’t have had been brought out of him because of the interference of the True Pair Omega. 

Would Sasuke forgive him for his stupidity? 

He didn’t know but…he needed to talk to him. 

He needed to. And if he had ruined everything irrevocably after that…then he would give up.

***

Naruto took in a shaky breath as he stood in front of the apartment where Kikio lived. The note in his hands told him this was the place. According to Itachi, Sasuke had left early in the morning without a word and Naruto assumed it was to here. He had rushed out of bed, dressed in nothing but one of Sasuke’s hoodies, and a pair of jeans, ready to rush over to where he was. 

Now…he was nervous. 

It was a guarded area. There was no way he could get to her without being kicked out for not having a card or anything to access this place. But he gathered all his courage, the ones that he seemed to have lost throughout this mess and walked inside the big building. The lobby was sterile, clean and had multitude of fancy statues and chandeliers decorating the place. He knew he was out of place here almost immediately. 

The receptionist simply eyed him with wary eyes when he stood in front of her. He gave her the best smile he had before he cleared his throat. “Hi, I’m here to see Katsuki Kikio?”

The lady stared at him for a few more seconds before she frowned. “Your name, please.”

“Name?” Naruto said, blinking. 

“We need to check if it’s someone our tenant has told us to let through,” she said, almost drily. “So, name please.”

That wasn’t going to work. His name wouldn’t be on that list. But…he knew Sasuke’s name might be on it. However, that plan would backfire if the man himself had checked in. He rocked on his heels as he started to panic. 

“Uh, yeah, my name won’t be there,” he said, earning raised eyebrows from her. “Look, an Alpha by the name of Uchiha Sasuke must’ve come here to see her. I need to see them both.”

“Right,” she said. “Sir, you need to leave before we call the security on you.”

Naruto’s eyes widened. “No, wait! I really need to speak to them! They know me! You can call her and tell her that Uzumaki Naruto wants to see her. Please!”

The lady hesitated, looking more and more annoyed with his presence there. She sighed a little before she picked up the phone and presumably called Kikio. However, while he thought Kikio would vouch for him like the idiot he was, he realised a little too late that she never knew his name. Just merely the Beta that tried to stop her from getting her Alpha. 

The receptionist placed the phone back on its body, ending the call only to look at him with the most deadpan look he had ever seen on anyone. Besides on Sasuke. 

“Sir, she doesn’t recognise you. We need you to clear the premise now.” She didn’t even wait for Naruto to protest when he saw two security men walking his way from his peripheral vision. 

Not wanting to get humiliated, he left the place with a heavy heart. He pulled out his phone and decided then that it would be best if he just called Sasuke. He hadn’t done it thinking he would be able to swoop in and save the Alpha like some hero. But this was real life. 

As he stood in front of the entrance of the building, his thumb hovering over the phone, he felt tears of frustration and sadness gathering in his eyes. He had ruined this. It was all his fault. If only he had stood by Sasuke like he should’ve, he wouldn’t be here. 

As a tear ran down his cheek, the voice he thought he wouldn’t hear anymore called out to him. Almost warily. Carefully. “Naruto?”

Immediately, the Beta turned around to look at the man who had stolen his heart. The man he had almost lost because of his own stupidity. He dropped his hand, swallowing past his dry throat as the dark eyes bored into his blue ones. There was a large space between them that Naruto wanted to lessen. The warmth that he wanted to be wrapped around himself again. 

But all the courage he had for a moment…vanished at the blank look on the Alpha’s face. 

“Sasuke,” Naruto said. 

The Alpha dropped his gaze to the ground for a second before he began moving, almost like he was walking away. In a surge of panic, Naruto made a noise that stopped the man in his tracks. The dark eyes raised to look at him again. 

“Don’t…don’t go,” Naruto croaked out. “Please.”

Sasuke remained quiet for a few seconds. “Come on. We can go to the park to talk.”

He wanted somewhere more private but he kept his mouth shut. He didn’t think he had the right to demand anything after what he had done. So, he nodded. A sigh from the pale man had him flinching as he let the Alpha walk past him. He then forced his heavy limbs to move. To follow the man. Fear continued to strum through his veins. If he touched him now, he wondered if it would be rebutted. 

If he touched him, he wondered if he would cause the chasm between them to increase. 

The park turned out to be only a ten-minute walk from where they were at. Sasuke found a bench and went to sit, his hands shoved in his pants as he tilted his head back to stare at the sky. Naruto silently sat next to him, giving them a big distance so he could keep his cool. So he could keep his hands from reaching out to the Alpha. 

“What is it?” Sasuke said, his voice low. “Why are you here?” 

Naruto intertwined his own fingers and placed them on his thighs. “I…I was wrong.”

“Wrong?” Sasuke hummed, bowing his head before he looked at the scene in front of him. “About what?”

It was clear that the Alpha wasn’t about to let Naruto off the hook just yet. He took in a deep breath and turned his body to look at the pale man properly. “Sasuke…I’m sorry.”

Those lips thinned. “Sorry…huh?”

“I was wrong,” Naruto said. “I didn’t realise the damage I’ve done. I was wrong. You’re right. The problem is the fact that I don’t trust I’m good enough for you. I don’t trust in my ability to see how good I can be for you. I…I don’t have the confidence in me to be good to you.”

Sasuke dropped his chin to his chest, his hair covering his eyes and shielding his face from Naruto’s view. With a voice that sent Naruto’s heart clenching in his chest in the most painful way possible, he said, “Did you know how you made me feel when you told me to go to her?” 

He tightened his fingers. “I didn’t. I…”

“Can you just tell me what’s going on in your head?” Sasuke said, turning his head to finally meet his eyes. Naruto saw the vulnerability and fear in those dark orbs. “Don’t hide anything from me.”

His throat dried and he wanted to clam up again. But…Sasuke deserved this. He deserved to know what he was going through. 

“It was the fact that people told me you would end up with that Omega at the end of the day,” Naruto said, his voice shaking. “No matter where I go, whenever I see a couple, all I could think about is how I’m just a Beta and you deserve more than a man who couldn’t give you what an Omega and a woman can. Every time I see your face, all these years of me wondering if I’m good enough for you come rushing back into my mind. With her walking into the picture, all I could think about is that this is it. This is the sign I didn’t think I was looking for.”

Sasuke searched his face and Naruto could see the unshed tears in them. 

The blond-haired man continued even though he was scared of the words he might say. “The longer I’m with you, the less I started to remember that I’m just a Beta. And I was happy. Even if you didn’t want to marry me yet, I was confident one day you would become mine. But there’s always these scary thoughts that you would leave me. That you were waiting for someone better to come around. And she was the picture I painted in my head. It was like a slap to my face. Naruto, the weird mix of a Beta and an Omega, is never going to be good enough.” 

He clenched his jaw for a second. “And I tried so hard to ignore it. Push that aside because I do want you. I tried to make myself believe I am good enough for you to want me over her. I tried so hard to ignore that insistent nagging at the back of my head that told me that you would regret not at least trying to be with her. Because what if she’s the one and I took that away from you? That happiness?”

Sasuke opened his mouth before he closed it, sighing. Naruto took that as a cue he wasn’t going to speak and he should continue. 

With trembling fingers, he took the leap of faith and touched Sasuke’s hand. “When she went on her knees and begged for you, it made me see where I stood in the eyes of everyone. I got scared. I felt like a thief. I felt guilty for having her to fight for someone who was meant to be hers. I felt guilty for stopping you from someone who can be better for you than me.” He took in a deep breath. “Itachi came to see me and told me that you…always wanted me since we were seventeen. That I made you feel more than just a man with a knot. More than who your family made you out to be. And I…hurt you by treating you the same as them because of my fears.”

“You hurt me a lot,” Sasuke whispered. “I gave you my heart and shared with you every inch of me. But you kept hiding from me ever since she walked into our lives. And I don’t know what to do anymore to make you see that I feel…useless. Useless at proving to you that you meant the whole world to me.”

“I’m sorry, Sasuke,” Naruto said as a sob caught in his throat. “You’re my best friend. You’re my everything. You’re my family. I just wanted the best for you but I didn’t think for one-second I’d have hurt you this much.”

“Every time you look at me like I deserve better,” Sasuke said, his voice shaking. “Every single time you make self-depreciating jokes about yourself, it makes me sad. It makes me mad. Because how could you even think that of yourself? You’re the one who changed me to the man I am today. I know I can be hard to deal with…but you were the only one who could take care of me even on my worst days.”

Naruto bowed his head and his shoulders shook as tears streamed down his face. He tightened his touch on Sasuke’s hand. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

“It’s partially my fault too,” Sasuke whispered, finally touching Naruto’s head as he patted him. “I made you wait for too long to prove to you that I want you as my forever. I made you think you weren’t good enough. It wasn’t enough for me to think how lucky I am to have you in my life. I should’ve shown it to you. ”

Naruto made a weird noise at the back of his throat. Sasuke touched his chin and tipped his head up, wiping the tears away with his thumb. Naruto finally seeing the affection in his lover’s eyes, launched at him and hugged him tight. Sasuke hugged him back, burying his face against his shoulder. 

“I won’t make you feel that way again,” Sasuke whispered. “No one else can ever compare to you. I don’t tell you these things often and it’s my fault. I should’ve told you how much you meant to me.”

“You don’t have to, Sasuke—”

“I have to,” Sasuke said as he tightened his grip. “Or else you won’t get it.” After a beat he said, “I didn’t react to her scent. She smelt like she was in preheat even though she denied it and all I could do was to stare at her and leave. Her scent made me ill and...I felt nothing. Nothing but disgust and nausea.” 

He pulled away to look into the blue eyes and that was when Naruto noticed the tears running down the pale man’s face. He quickly wiped them away as well, his bottom lip wobbling. Relief washed over every inch of him when he heard that. 

“Naruto,” Sasuke said. “You can’t leave me. You can’t ask me to do that shit again. I can’t give up my forever because of your insecurities. If you have them, you need to open your mouth and tell me.”

“I’m sorry,” Naruto said, unable to say anything else. “I’m so sorry.”

The pale man stood up then, hands pulling the blond-haired man to stand up. Stumbling on his feet, the two of them began to run. His heart was thundering a million times per minute but as adrenaline shot in his veins, he let the Alpha take control. Wherever they were going, this time, he was following him without hesitation. There was a lot more to talk about, yes, but right now, he was willing to go everywhere with him.

***

Home. They were home and Sasuke had pushed him against their front door the second they got in. The emptiness in this house was now filled. The longing in his chest was fulfilled and the pain all these days, weeks, died into nothing. As the pale lips melted against his, as his lover’s body pressed against his, all he could do was to let go. With eyes closed and one hand buried in the dark hair and the other on the arm circling his waist, he moved to the dance of their love. 

As the Alpha pried his lips open and pushed his tongue in, the blond-haired man felt like he also pierced through his doubts. He groaned under his breath when he kissed back just as fervently, tugging him closer by the strands in between his fingers. Sasuke’s other hand reached down his neck and his fingers cradled his jaw. With love and care he caressed his skin, bringing forth sparks running down the Beta’s spine. When they pulled away, and his eyes opened to look at the handsome face of his Alpha, he felt his feet becoming lighter than usual. 

The tight grip on the dark hair loosened until he was brushing those strands away from the expressive eyes. Those eyes that held heat that Naruto wanted. But they still hadn’t finished what they started back in the park and that was important. And when he pressed his lips against Sasuke’s one last time, he smiled when the Alpha wrapped his arms around his body and hugged him again. 

“After her heat, I’m dissolving this bond with her,” Sasuke said. “And you’ll come with me.”

“Okay,” Naruto said, closing his eyes as he waited for the onslaught of doubts to circle his mind. But when Sasuke tightened his grip on the tan body a bit more, all those things disappeared. “What…about your instincts?”

“They’re still confusing,” Sasuke admitted as he pulled away to look at him in the eyes. “But I know what I want clearly. Right here, right now. I told you once and I’ll tell you again. I’ve never let my biology control me. And I won’t start now.”

“I trust you,” Naruto said as he pressed one hand on Sasuke’s cheek while the other in those inked hair dropped to wrap around his neck. “I do.”

“But do you trust yourself?” Sasuke said. 

As if a sharp knife had been lodged in his heart, he hurt. He dropped his gaze to the broad shoulders, settling his back against the door properly. “I have to. I didn’t even realise I was feeling this badly about myself…until this happened.”

The Alpha remained silent for a few seconds. “We need to communicate better.”

“That requires you to speak more than a few words like you’ve done today,” Naruto said, trying to joke only for it to fall flat at Sasuke’s look. His smile died on his face before he nodded. “Communicate more. Got it.”

Sasuke remained silent again before he nodded once. “Let’s bond.”

Naruto stopped moving, eyes wide as the words registered in his head. “I mean…isn’t that what we were going to do…”

“I mean,” Sasuke said, “let’s bond after I break the bond with her.”

His heart skipped a beat at that. “Isn’t that a bit too fast?”

“Naruto,” Sasuke said, his voice held a tint of warning in it. Naruto shook his head, eyes becoming wider. 

“I didn’t mean it that way,” he said. “I mean…wouldn’t it take a toll on you? The bond, I mean. You just broke one with her…and then taking up a new one—”

“I’ll be fine,” Sasuke said. 

The blond haired man searched his lover’s face. “Can we get married first? And then bond?”

Sasuke raised his eyebrows. Naruto thought the Alpha would question him, maybe even point out his slightly romantic tendencies but instead of doing all of that, he simply went back to hugging him, humming under his breath. “Whatever you want.”

Naruto smiled then, pressing his forehead against the shoulder. “I’m sorry for being stubborn and not seeing what the real problem was.”

“I didn’t realise how less you see yourself compared to how I see you,” Sasuke mumbled against him. 

There was a brief short pause before Naruto went, “I guess I grew scared the older I got.”

“I should’ve mated you a long time ago,” Sasuke said. “Should’ve done everything to make sure you knew you were a sure thing.”

“It doesn’t matter now,” Naruto said as he looked at his left hand. “You’re doing them now. I…I love you, Sasuke. Even if I act like a dumbass sometimes.” 

Sasuke chuckled. “You are a dumbass.” He pressed his lips at the corner of his neck. “I love you too, idiot.”

“Bastard,” Naruto whispered, affectionately.

***

Thankfully it was a Saturday. And usually, the duo would find themselves out and about, with Naruto dragging the Alpha to Ichiraku Ramen down by the block for their usual date night. But not today. Instead, the Alpha had dragged the Beta to bed and wouldn’t let him out of it. There hadn’t been any rolling in the sheets, per se. It was more of recovering from the lack of intimacy they both had to suffer through because of this mess. 

Naruto sighed as he leaned against Sasuke, the pale hands wrapped around his waist. They were both naked and the Beta wasn’t complaining. Now he could enjoy the warmth straight from its source without any clothes in the way. Sasuke had buried his nose against the side of his neck, squeezing him once in a while. One of the blond-haired man’s hand found itself in between those dark locks, huffing a breath when the hot breath fanned his neck again. He tugged on the strands, yelping when teeth scraped his sensitive skin. He yanked his shoulder away from under the questing mouth, turning his head to toss a glare at the Alpha. 

Sasuke only snorted, a smirk crawling on his face. “Just doing a test bite.”

His cheeks reddened at that, heart hammering against his chest. The flutter in his stomach turned into molten adoration as he recalled that even after almost nine years, he still found Sasuke to be an attractive man. Nearing the age of thirty years old, he couldn’t help but to think that the Alpha was more beautiful than ever. Some of his awe must’ve slipped past his face because Sasuke’s lips turned upwards into a more genuine smile, the dark eyes softening. 

“You looking at me like that is giving me ideas,” Sasuke said as he pinched the flabbier part of Naruto’s side. 

He slapped the hand away, his cheeks heating up further as a silly grin crawled on his face. “Bastard, don’t touch me there.” He then sighed and turned around completely to face him. 

One pale hand reached to touch his neck before his thumb caressed his jaw. Naruto closed his eyes as he leaned into the soft gesture, smiling wider. 

“Don’t say something like that ever again. Asking me to go to someone else and whatnot.” The words that came out of Sasuke’s words was a contrast to the soft atmosphere that they got going. 

He opened his eyes, staring into the dark orbs that held a certain warmth that could melt his heart all over again. With an aching chest, he touched the hand and squeezed his fingers. He had been an idiot. While he proclaimed to the world he wasn’t afraid that the Alpha would dump him, he forgot to see that it was himself sabotaging his own happiness. 

“Yeah,” Naruto said. “I won’t. Ever again.” 

“Good,” Sasuke said. “Come here, I need to scent you again.”

“Haven’t you done that enough?” Naruto whined though he secretly loved it when the Alpha did that. 

It was an intimate act reserved for an Alpha and Omega but Sasuke had always taken the time in his day to bathe the Beta with his scent. And maybe that should have told the Beta that Sasuke never really followed the norm. Never really followed his biology to the tee. He smiled, nodding as he tilted his head to the side, baring his neck with intent. When he saw the slight redness bleed into the black eyes, he grinned once more. A startled laughter escaped his lips when Sasuke pushed him flat on his back, looming over him. 

“Keep your neck bared,” Sasuke said as he pressed his body on top of the blond-haired man, almost immobilising him. 

“Nah,” Naruto said as he looped his arms around the neck. “Kiss me first.”

The Alpha made a face as if it was a huge burden but he knew that Sasuke wanted it too. When their lips pressed together, he let the man push him further into the bed until all he could think about was him. And while he was underneath him, covered by his scent and love and heat, he reminded himself that he couldn’t make the same mistake again. 

He couldn’t hurt Sasuke that way ever again. 

They both weren’t perfect and this event had opened his eyes to it. As he pulled away from the kiss to look at the flushed face, he vowed to keep the dark eyes full of love. Even on their worst days.

***

Kikio looked pale when she had met them in front of the hospital. This time, she wasn’t accompanied by her father, much to the Beta’s relief. Her head was bowed and…Naruto did feel bad for her. He did. He wished there was a way they could help her that didn’t involve Sasuke. But after what had happened, he just wanted the bond to be broken already. Sasuke had intertwined their fingers as he stared at her. And for a brief moment, Naruto wanted to ask him if he was alright. 

The answer in those dark eyes was clear though when they met his blue ones. 

He had nothing to worry about. 

“Come on,” Sasuke said. “We should get this over with.”

Kikio raised her head to look at him, her bottom lip wobbling. “Can’t…can’t you try with me at all? Do I stand no chance at all?”

“Kikio, enough,” Sasuke said, quietening her. “I don’t want this. Let me go.”

Naruto squeezed his hand when the girl dropped her eyes to the ground again, her shoulders shaking as she took in a deep breath. 

“Please,” the Beta said, catching her eyes. “You’ll just hurt yourself. I know it’s not fair. And I wish you didn’t have to go through this. But…he’s mine, Kikio. I can’t lose him.”

Her eyes filled with tears. She looked like she was about to argue but Sasuke silenced her with a sigh. 

“I didn’t react to your scent and preheat,” he said, blunt. “I left you there and walked out the second I smelled it. It was awful and you deserve a better Alpha than me. So, let me go.”

With clenched fists, she took in another deep breath. She nodded, at the end. Naruto hid the relieved sigh. That was enough for them to walk into the hospital for the scheduled bond dissolving process. While it was a legal process, it still earned a few confused and sometimes narrowed looks. Especially since bonds were sacred. Too precious to be broken. 

But they had to go through that if they wanted to leave this behind. The process was simple. A concoction of something like a dissolving agent would be created from both DNA strands of the Alpha and Omega. It was a long process from creating the agent to administering it through an injection. And the effect would slowly work in one week, if there had been no intimate contact between the two parties by then. 

It had been almost eight hours by the time Sasuke and Kikio was injected with the agent. And Naruto’s entire body ached as he waited. They would have to come for a check up one last time after one week to assess the progress of the agent but nevertheless, by the time Sasuke was allowed to go home, he looked relieved. 

Relieved and happy. Kikio followed behind him, one hand touching the shoulder where the agent was injected. 

“Come on, let’s go home,” Sasuke said to the Beta as he left her behind, not even another glance at her, walking to the carpark. 

But Naruto had a harder time abandoning her. He lingered for a while and stopped moving when Kikio broke down crying, crouching to her knees in front of him. Startled, he watched her cry before he sighed. His heart ached for her but it was done. He crouched in front of her and hesitated to touch her head. But he decided it was best if they parted ways in somewhat neutral terms and patted her head anyway. 

She looked up and slapped his hand away, wiping her face furiously. “Don’t touch me, Alpha-stealer.”

He winced at the nickname before he thinned his lips. He knew there was no way he could change her mind. So, he said, “Take care. And…even though it isn’t my fault, I still feel guilty, so I’m sorry.”

She stared at him before she scoffed, standing up. “Stop trying to act so noble. You can have that dirtbag. I’ll find an Alpha better than him. If he can’t see my worth and chose to stay with an infertile Beta like you, then that’s his fucking problem.”

He watched her storm away. And while those words were meant to be malicious, he couldn’t help but to detect a hint of sadness in them. “Good luck, Kikio,” he whispered and stood up, walking to the car park. 

When he got into the car, closing the door and buckling his seat belt, he glanced at Sasuke. He earned a questioning gaze, no doubt had witnessed the interaction between him and Kikio. 

“I just wanted to make sure she was fine,” Naruto said as he sighed. “Sorry…guess I’m still feeling a bit guilty.”

He thought the Alpha would get mad at him again. But instead, he felt a hand on his head, patting him. “Idiot,” Sasuke said. “Don’t think too much. It’s done. Let’s…move on.”

Naruto smiled, leaning against the chair as Sasuke pulled his hand away. “Yeah…you’re right.” 

“Plus,” Sasuke said. “If someone like Itachi can be happy with someone else after his True Pair rejected him, she can too. Biology isn’t the answer to everything.”

Naruto snapped his eyes at the Alpha, eyes wide. “What? Itachi got rejected by his True Pair? When did that happen?”

“When he was twenty,” Sasuke said. “It wasn’t a big deal. The Omega was mated to someone else and didn’t want him. He agreed to let them go.” His dark eyes briefly met the blue ones. “True Pairs don’t guarantee a happy ending.”

It also made him see why Itachi had seen him personally and poked in his mind that day. He hummed under his breath. “I’ve been stupid…”

“Well, that isn’t news,” Sasuke said, tossing a smirk at his direction. 

Naruto smiled. “You should’ve told me this sooner, man. I wouldn’t be so worried then.”

“Even if I did,” Sasuke said, “you would’ve found something else to convince yourself that I need her.” 

That was true. “I guess.” After a beat, he said, “How are you feeling?”

“Free,” Sasuke said. “Like I no longer am battling with three hundred different directions all at once.” He glanced at Naruto again. “Now, I can just focus on being with you.”

With his reddening cheeks, he smiled wider. “We’re doing this to the end, huh?”

“All of it,” Sasuke said. 

“Including kids?” Naruto questioned, slyly. 

Sasuke’s eyes widened and the car almost took a sudden break. Naruto grabbed the headboard, a quiet scream almost escaped his lips. He looked in front of him to note that it was a red traffic light. He tossed a glare at the Alpha, trying to calm his racing heart. 

“Focus on the road, you bastard,” Naruto gripped, placing a hand on his chest. “Almost died here.”

“You want children?” Sasuke said, a weird expression crossed his face. 

Naruto knew that look. It was when the Alpha found himself in a puzzling situation. One that he hadn’t encountered before. He frowned. Had they not talked about it? He wracked his mind for a time he could remind Sasuke of him wanting children and realised…he hadn’t said a thing about it. 

“Have I never mentioned about it?” Naruto said, scratching his neck. 

“No?” Sasuke said, sounding off. “So, you want children?”

“Yes,” Naruto said. “But we can talk about that later. It’s not like I want them now.”

Sasuke remained silent but then he nodded. Naruto relaxed in his seat, letting the silence wash into his mind. The Alpha then broke it with a murmured, “I don't think I’ll mind them either.”

“Mind what?”

“Children.”

Naruto snapped his head to look at the dark-haired man, noticing the pink tint on those pale cheeks. A few chuckles left his lips in amusement. It wasn’t a topic he wanted to open now. But, it was nice that Sasuke seemed to want them too. 

“Alright,” Naruto said, his chest warming up when Sasuke smiled a little. “Hey, Sas? Can we meet your parents earlier than Christmas?”

Sasuke didn’t tense like he usually did whenever the blond-haired man brought up the topic of his parents. But he did look a little nervous with his eyebrows furrowed and the tight corners of his lips. 

“It’s not that I don’t want you to,” Sasuke said. “It’s just my parents…I don’t want you to be under their fire.”

“I’ll be fine,” Naruto said. “I learned a lot from this mess. I can handle your parents.”

Sasuke made a noise of acknowledgement. “Then, next week?”

“Next week sounds good,” Naruto said as he sat up properly. “I just want to get their approval. Before…we did anything official.”

“Naruto,” Sasuke said. “Just…don’t expect much, alright?”

The blond-haired man knew that the Alpha was worried about him. He simply smiled again before he nodded. He knew Sasuke’s family weren’t as accepting. After the Alpha had confessed that he had been trying to calm things down at home for the past four years when they found he was dating Naruto, he knew that they were going to have a bumpy road ahead. 

He looked at the ring on his hands and his heart grew lighter. 

He couldn’t believe that they were going to do this. 

And by the time one week had passed and the doctors had confirmed the bond was gone, Naruto was convinced at last that yeah, this was happening. A life with Sasuke forever had always sounded good. Now, it never had been more appealing. As the Alpha interlaced their fingers after the confirmation that he was free from the True Pair bond, he squeezed his hand back. 

A love that transcended biology. That was what they were. And he believed it now. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. 
> 
> A/N: Ah, so, this chapter is the story from Sasuke's POV. And how he dealt with the whole True Pair situation that hit the pair like a storm. Due to me writing this chapter, I've edited just a little bit of the previous chapter. Just so it's coherent. 
> 
> I'm actually super nervous to even post this chapter. I'm terribly scared, to be honest, because I wanted to show a new POV to everything that had happened in the previous chapter and do it well? I don't want to show one character is more flawed than the other. Both are equally flawed and both have insecurities. They just have different ways of coping with it or showing it. And no relationship is ever perfect and no argument is ever kind. So, I just wanted to do just that, to show both sides of this trouble and how they overcame it without forcing the blame on either. Especially in the type of world they live in. 
> 
> But do take everything I write with a grain of salt, though! 
> 
> Anyway, as nervous as I am, and as scared of the reactions as I am, I truly do hope you enjoy it nevertheless. 
> 
> xoxo

Sasuke knew that the moment he looked into her eyes, his whole life was about to take a turn. A turn he was a hundred percent certain he would not like. The sharp tug in his chest and his mind briefly clouding had him alarmed. Alarmed enough to pull his instincts away and tucked them into the corner of his mind. The woman before him had stiffened before she smiled, her cheeks reddening and her eyes glowing in brief yellow. 

Omega. 

A shiver ran down his spine. And he knew then…what this all meant. 

Her name was Katsuki Kikio. Daughter of one of his company’s shareholder. And she was his True Pair Omega. 

He sighed as he concluded the meeting, ready to exit the room and head to his office where he could brood for a couple of hours. If he had known walking into that meeting would mean he would be meeting with _her,_ he would have gladly cancelled it. Last minute or not. Rubbing a hand down his face, he leaned into his leather chair, pulling out his smartphone. 

A picture of Naruto and him greeted him, causing the ends of his lips to pull upwards into a smile. It was a picture of Naruto grinning and he, himself, frowning. They looked like a mismatched pair, from the tan skin and bright blue eyes to the pale skin and almost dead-looking orbs. 

Sometimes, he wondered how much luck he must’ve used, and had been using, to have the Beta in his life. The smile on his face dimmed and he groaned, placing his phone gingerly on his glass work table. 

Naruto wouldn’t admit it, being as stubborn as the Alpha, but he had a severe case of inferiority complex. And Sasuke wasn’t an idiot to not figure out why. He was an Uchiha, born and raised in a family full of Alphas. In this world they lived in, those were the kind of things that ruled society. Alphas being the top of the survival hierarchy and Betas…well, besides working under the Alphas, they kept mostly to themselves. Much to the Alpha and Omegas’ relief. 

Because if a Beta rose up from their place, and god forbid, act out more than what their part was, it would _upset_ the fragile balance the society was in. 

To which Sasuke had flipped a middle finger at when he decided Naruto was his all. In life, love and everything in between. 

Besides, hierarchy statuses were nothing but trouble. He preferred his own lane and Naruto was in his lane. Anything and everything else can go to hell. 

Including Kikio and this stupid bond. 

Whatever the fuck this was, it needed to end. And he had to tell Naruto about her. There was no question about it. But he was…scared. Scared of the reaction he was going to get. He knew how Naruto viewed himself as. If he found out his True Pair Omega walked into his life…if Naruto _left_ him…

He shook his head out of the thoughts just as the door to his office was knocked. His assistant poked her head in, giving him a nervous smile when he gestured her inside. She only took two steps in before she said, “Katsuki Kikio wants to see you.”

Sasuke thinned his lips. The last thing he needed was more of her. He was tempted to reject her request but then he remembered Naruto. He doesn’t deserve this pain that was Sasuke’s stupid biology. The faster he cut ties with her, the better. So, he nodded. 

When she walked in, looking all ditzy, he frowned. 

This wasn’t going to be a twenty-minutes talk. 

He gritted his teeth as he texted Naruto he would be late tonight, already imagining the bright blue eyes dimming. The blond-haired man didn’t think he noticed but every time Sasuke had to cancel one of their dinner plans, a part of the Beta would dim and sadden. He hated that look on his lover’s face. But this was inevitable. 

“Sorry,” Sasuke whispered to the phone before he looked up to see Kikio, standing before him looking all docile. 

He hated her already. 

He gestured for her to take a seat at one of the empty chairs before him, already dreading this conversation. She sat down, all prim and proper and cocked her head to the side. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her, most likely because she bared her neck. 

He rubbed a hand down his face, not bothering to hide how he wished he wasn’t there. 

“Uchiha-san,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you. I can’t believe it’s you. Out of everyone, I’m honestly quite glad—”

“I’m not interested.” Sasuke was a blunt person. Naruto himself had complained a few times at how blunt he could be. In this society he lived in, it was rude. But he gave zero fucks at the moment. Not even when her eyes widened and she looked stunned. “Look, I guess it’s good that this happened now rather than later. I’m already with someone. So, I can’t be with you.”

She seemed to have died, judging from how pale and silent she was being. 

After what seemed like two long seconds, she snapped out of her reverie. “Who is it? I’m your True Pair Omega. You know what this means right?” She smiled, almost too smugly. “You’re my Alpha. We’re made to be.”

“It’s none of your business who it is,” Sasuke said. “All you should know is that I’m not leaving them for you. Biology isn’t my answer for anything. Especially when it comes to whom I should be spending the rest of my life with.”

Kikio hadn’t taken that lightly. She had thrown a massive tantrum, accompanied by tears streaming down her face. At one point, he had to stand up from his seat and try to walk away, only to be stopped when she grabbed his hand. His first reaction was to snatch his hand away, levelling a glare at her that seemed to immediately cause her to back down. 

But then there was this ache in his chest. It wasn’t painful. Just weird. 

“I don’t believe you,” she said, stubbornness written all over her face. “You’re lying. You just don’t know me well and that’s why you’re making up lies about being with someone.”

Was she actually dumb? 

Sasuke wanted to snarl at her and have her tossed out of his office. It was starting to smell more like her and it was upsetting his stomach. He hated the smell of Omegas, especially ones that were in heat. They were too sweet-smelling. Too sugary. He craved for his lover’s scent of laundry detergent and ramen. He preferred that over whatever this was. 

“I don’t care what you want to believe in,” he hissed. “Leave me alone. We’re done. Don’t contact me again.”

He fled from his office after grabbing his coat, phone and work bag. After notifying his secretary to get rid of her from his office, he hurried out of the building. It was only when he reached his car in the parking lot was he able to take in deep breaths of fresh air. His knees felt weak as he crouched down, one hand placed against the cool surface of his car, while the other covered his mouth. Nausea wormed itself into him. His chest ached and pulled, while his rational side had wanted him to lie down and clear his head from the urge to vomit. 

This was why he hated being an Alpha. 

The caveman brain of his when it comes to these things had a hard time understanding that he was still human. He hated his own biology. And sometimes, he wished there was a legal procedure for him to turn into a Beta instead. That was why he took suppressants. Anything to stop his inner instincts from taking over. Even if it meant he didn't smell strongly of an Alpha. 

He didn’t care about all of that. 

“Why must it happen now,” he whispered as he remembered the ring he bought. 

It had almost been nine years since he and Naruto got together. He was well aware that Naruto wouldn’t be with him forever if he kept him hanging by a thread like that. So, he wanted to make his move. He had tried to keep everything in his life in perfect order before he got Naruto involved with his family and friends but things always got in the way. 

He had kept the ring with him for almost five years. 

If only Itachi hadn’t spilled that he was with a Beta before he could tell his parents, he would’ve ended up married and mated with Naruto almost five years ago. 

Groaning he thumped his head against his car. 

***

He had _lied_. 

And he hated that he lied. 

There wasn’t many things in his life that he was proud of, short for Naruto and his ability to keep this relationship alive. But the second he lied, he hated himself for it. As he ate the food his lover made for him, as he recalled today’s events, a part of him clammed up. When Naruto said he had met with Sakura, he had found himself annoyed. Not because his loveable idiot talked to his best friend about them, it was because that pink-haired weirdo always placed doubts in his lover’s mind. 

Not that those doubts were unfounded. But the sole reason she disapproved of them was because he was an Alpha. 

Judged because of his secondary gender… _again_. 

As he wrapped his arms around Naruto, who was sleeping on top of his chest as if he hadn’t slept in years, Sasuke couldn’t help but to think of the times he had gotten this. Just the quiet and no one but the weight of the blond, as if to anchor him down after a day full of shite. He looked down at him, smiling when he saw the tan nose scrunch up. Gingerly, he touched the blond hair, pushing them away from those closed eyed that held his favourite shade of blue. 

He couldn’t understand how Naruto managed to stay with him for this long. Without completely throwing him away when Sasuke had yet to deliver on the promise of forever. He glanced at the side of the room where his working bag was. The ring box nestled safely in one of the pockets, ready for the day for it to show itself. He cursed Itachi again for the umpteenth time in his head. 

If only the idiot brother of his didn’t open his mouth, he could have broken the news slowly and gotten his parents to accept them. At least then, now he would have Naruto as his mate and husband. He took the tan man’s left hand that was carelessly wrapped around his waist, caressing his ring finger. 

A part of him reminded him that he still needed to tell Naruto about her. 

And then maybe…he would get to see the ring he spent worrying about for years on this hand. 

He pressed his lips at the crown of Naruto’s head, sighing as he grasped those fingers tight.

***

It was utter fucking chaos. 

One moment Sasuke was in the bathroom taking a shower after a fitful night of sleep and the next, he was pressing his lover down, in hopes of trying to make him listen to him. Because Kikio fucking happened, he saw the fear crawling into the blue eyes. This was the last thing he wanted. The very last thing. 

Naruto’s words, his insecurities—they hurt to listen. Because Sasuke knew that partially, it was his fault. He had made the man he loved think that way about him. He knew where he went wrong and if he knew this was what would have happened, he would have turned back time and correct his mistakes.

There had always been an unspoken rule between them. That every thought about a True Pair would be forgotten, at least take it with a grain of salt and move past it. Sasuke knew that Naruto tried. He knew he did. The blond-haired man wore his emotions on his sleeves. It was easy for the Alpha to pick out his thoughts and dissect him. The idea of marriage and bonding, they meant a lot to Naruto. 

As Sasuke remained next to Naruto after the whole fight, after they had reconfirmed that there was no other for the Alpha but the Beta sleeping exhausted, he couldn’t help but feel useless. He had done this to them to some extent. Pushing aside the Beta’s own insecurities that he never once confided in his lover, the big problem remained because Sasuke hadn’t shared his social life with him. 

His social life wasn’t anything he was proud of. 

His friends from university days knew about Naruto, of course they did. He didn’t make it a point to hide his lover away, even if that was how it came across to the blond. But he didn’t like his friends all that much. They were there. They were fun. But that was it. They weren’t that close. And his family, especially his father who year by year, would try to needle him and force him to take up another Alpha or Omega over Naruto, he wanted to keep him as far away from them as possible. 

A woman of good calibre. Not a man. Especially not an orphaned Beta. 

Anger washed into him as he subconsciously tightened his hold on the sleeping man next to him as he recalled his father’s condescending words. His father even went as far as bringing a woman into their home during a Christmas Eve party last year in hopes that he would betray Naruto and end up with her. But he had taken one look at her and sneered, chasing her away by being blunt about how ugly she was. 

It had worked. 

He never told Naruto that. Never told him the ugly parts of his family. And he knew that if he brought him home, Father wouldn’t stop at just jabbing him across their Christmas dinner. No, he would go one step further to really hurt him. He pressed his nose against the messy blond hair, hugging him tighter as he closed his eyes, basking in the warmth. 

He was scared. 

Naruto was everything to him. 

His whole world revolved around him. One miscalculation from anyone in his life, and he was scared he would lose him. 

Did that mean Sasuke didn’t trust himself to hold onto him?

Maybe. Besides, Naruto was a beautiful enigma. 

Why he chose a dark coal like himself was surprising. But he wouldn’t take it for granted. He was aware of how lousy he had been as a boyfriend. As a lover. He still remembered how shocked Naruto looked when he told him he loved him. And that in itself angered him. Because he realised then, acutely, he hadn’t been saying the right words all this time. He had let doubts fester in Naruto’s head. 

This was his fault. In a way, it was his. It had nothing to do with Kikio. It was just an incident that made him see, truly how lousy he was as a boyfriend. 

As he threw a leg over Naruto’s body and pressed his lips against his hair, Sasuke promised himself that he would try harder. Even if it meant he had to step out of his usual self.

***

His friends had been a menace. Especially this one friend of his that wouldn’t stop leering at Naruto every time he goddamn opened his mouth. Sasuke didn't like being possessive. His lover would probably scoff at him for that but he didn’t. He just didn’t like it when people came a bit too close to his blond idiot’s face and expected him to be alright with it. His knuckles itched right at this moment to slam into that toothy friend of his. 

Without even realising it, he had snapped, “I think we’re done here. I’m going home. I’m sure Naruto’s tired too.”

Naruto grinned, chuckling when catcalls reverberated from those idiots he called friends. Especially from Karin who simply raised her eyebrows before making a crude gesture. Sasuke prayed she would keep her mouth shut but she liked to rile him up. 

“Have a nice fuck, you guys,” Karin said. “Remember, safe sex is sexy!”

“Go to hell,” Sasuke said, pushing past his laughing friends as he walked out of the small pub, Naruto trailing after him with pinked cheeks and an infectious smile. 

One that had the Alpha smiling back. He reached to touch the blond hair, swiping the longer strands from his face. The blue eyes were brighter than before and he looked…happy. Naruto swayed back and forth on his feet before he took a step back, forcing Sasuke to remove his fingers. 

“They’re fun,” Naruto said as he shoved his hands in his hoodie pockets. 

Sasuke only made a face, earning a giggle from the Beta. “They’re a menace.”

“Aww, don’t pout, bastard,” Naruto said, slapping his shoulder. “Let’s take a walk.”

The Alpha raised his eyebrows. “A walk? In this weather?”

It was cold. And he hated the cold. He hated a lot of things, if he was being honest. But if that was what Naruto wanted, he supposed he could endure the horrible weather for him. The blond-haired man simply rolled his eyes, huffing a breath. 

“Come on, stop being a stick in the mud,” Naruto hollered as he walked forward. “It’ll be nice!”

“I’m not a stick in the mud,” Sasuke muttered as he followed the Beta, his feet light with each step. 

He sighed, feeling a little twinge on one side of his neck as he recalled what happened this morning. Kikio had barged into his home, pushed Naruto aside and tried to claim her place. These were the times he was thankful his lover was a Beta since their home smelt a little too rosy and sweet because of her. But he knew their argument about this matter wasn’t the end. In an attempt to stop the blond-haired man from thinking about her, he had invited him to meet his friends. 

It was a low tactic but he would do it again if it meant he would stop letting her bother him. 

When he looked into the blue eyes this morning after the incident, his heart had lurched in fear at the dimness. It was as if a part of Naruto had retreated back. It reminded him of those few times when they fought too hard, too loud and said things they couldn't take back. He didn’t want it to happen again. 

He found his body moving and before he could stop himself, he had grabbed onto one of the Beta’s arms, stopping him. Naruto turned to look at him, eyebrows furrowed as his blue eyes shimmered with questions. Sasuke felt his cheeks growing hot but nevertheless, the part of him—the actual part of him that wasn’t ruled by instincts—wanted to be closer to his lover. He gently pulled out Naruto’s left hand from his hoodie and interlaced their fingers. The slight bouts of anxiety he had been feeling this entire day diminished when Naruto smiled wide. 

He then punched one of Sasuke’s shoulders playfully, causing the man to take a step back from the momentum. 

“Stop being so sly, man,” Naruto said. 

“Stop calling me that,” Sasuke muttered as he tightened his grip on their intertwined hands. 

The Beta hummed under his breath. “I think it’s a cute pet name.”

“It sounds awful,” Sasuke said. 

“Yeah, yeah,” the Beta said with a roll of his eyes. “That’s why it fits perfectly for a prissy bastard like you.”

Sasuke found himself frowning but he didn’t feel annoyed. No. As he stared at the grinning, mischievous face of his lover, he couldn’t help but to feel an overwhelming amount of affection. 

This idiot was his. And he wasn’t going to let him go. 

He pulled Naruto close to him, his free hand grabbed onto that waist he loved. Naruto’s smile dimmed before pure curiosity and slight panic coloured those blue orbs. He placed a tan hand on his chest, stopping him from crowding the Beta. 

“What are you doing?” Naruto whispered, searching his face as his cheeks reddened. From the cold and slight fluster. 

A smirk crawled on the Alpha’s face. “What? You’re not talking so big now.”

“Sasuke,” Naruto said, turning to look around them. “We’re in public.”

“So?” Sasuke said as he pulled him closer. 

The blush deepened on the tan skin. “As much as I like hand holding and butterfly kisses in public, I really don’t think we should do more than that until we get home.” After a beat, he flicked Sasuke’s forehead, eliciting a hiss from the Alpha. 

The Alpha conceded and let him go, rubbing his forehead before shooting an unamused look at his chortling lover. His thinned lips twitched to smile though when Naruto turned and continued marching away. 

“Are you happy?” Sasuke asked, unable to hold the question back. 

The Beta stopped moving before he glanced over his shoulders. Then, he gave a smile, one that looked so peaceful and relaxed that it loosened all the fear currently residing in the Alpha’s chest. 

“Yeah,” Naruto said. “I’m happy.”

***

Sasuke looked at his phone when the call got cut off abruptly. He had one hand on the car door that he opened, ready to get in when Naruto decided to cut him off. His heart sunk to the pit of his stomach as a million scenarios crawled into his mind. One being the Beta running away from him. He immediately put a hold on that and sighed, pressing the phone to his forehead. Naruto wouldn’t do that. 

He wouldn’t. 

He wasn’t the type of pack his bags and leave at night without a word. 

That seemed to be more of Sasuke’s thing. 

He sighed as he got in the car. When his work was done, he had planned on picking the Beta up from wherever he was. He didn’t do this often but he had been trying his hardest to make Naruto happy enough to forget about Kikio. He hadn’t made things too obvious, of course. But he was still trying. 

But as more days passed by, the less and less confident he was getting that Naruto understood how much he loved him. 

When he got home, the house felt cold. It felt deserted. And his fear crawled up his throat again. He forced himself to stay rooted, to not run to where Naruto was and crawl into bed with him. Maybe the Beta needed some time with Iruka and Kakashi. Sasuke would respect that. 

But as he found himself lying in the large bed, unable to fall asleep, he couldn’t hold himself back. With that, he had drove to Iruka’s place, knocking on the door the second he reached there as frantically as he could. When the brunet had opened the door, it was to a pale Sasuke. 

“Is Naruto here?” Sasuke whispered before he saw the bath robe that Iruka was wearing. “Sorry for coming by so late.”

“It’s fine,” Iruka said as he closed the door, a smile on his face. “I was wondering when you’re about to show up and was awake waiting.”

Sasuke was stumped at that. “You were awake waiting?”

Iruka only smiled wider before he patted his back. “Naruto’s in his old bedroom. You know where that is.”

“Ah,” the Alpha said, his cheeks tinting pink. “Y-yes. I’ll go there now.”

“Good night,” Iruka said as he waved and head to his own room. 

Rubbing the back of his neck, he wished his lover’s father night and walked to where Naruto’s room was. When he opened the door, his eyes scanned the dark room before it landed on a small bed located against the wall right next to shelves of books. He was curled on top of his blanket like he usually did, his face relaxed. Sasuke closed the door behind him and debated whether to sleep next to his lover or on the floor. 

After a beat of hesitation, he decided to sleep on the bed since he was sure Naruto would have somewhat expected him. He always knew how to read him. Even if he was wrong some of the time. Sasuke gently pulled the blankets from underneath the blond before he got in next to him. He then tossed the blanket on their bodies, halting when Naruto moved in his sleep. 

When Sasuke sighed in relief, he lay his head on the second pillow and looked at the ceiling, feeling his eyes drooping and sleep inviting him into their land. Just before he could doze off, a weight landed on his chest and a grip around his waist. He smiled as he touched the tan wrist and planted a kiss on the blond hair. 

And when morning came, he found out that Naruto was still having a hard time pushing past this. It hurt, Sasuke had to admit. It was as if his fears of losing the man was coming to life. But when the Beta had looked at him with an apologetic look, asking for some time, the Alpha found himself giving into the request. If time was what his lover needed, he would give him time. In the meantime, he would do his upmost best to make him realise that Sasuke was going to stay. Forever. 

***

Sasuke gripped his glass tight, watching the bourbon swirl amongst the ice as Sakura sat next to him at the bar. The pink-haired woman wanted to meet him all of a sudden, threatening to come to his office if he didn’t show up. And now that he was here, she hadn’t spoken a single word. A little impatient, he tossed the remainder of his drink into the back of his throat and placed the glass on the countertop. Then, he turned his body to face her.

Before he could open his mouth, Sakura glanced at him and said, “You found your True Pair Omega.”

Sakura’s words halted him. He stared at her for a few seconds as he tried to make sense on how she could have known. Naruto’s face flashed in his mind and he sighed. 

“What about it?” Sasuke muttered, flagging the bartender for another whisky on the rock or something a little stronger. 

He was aware that Sakura hated his guts. Just as much he disliked her and her ugly hair. But he still admired the fact she cared a lot about his lover. That was the only reason he stayed friends with her. And he could guess she had a similar reason to why she even spoke to him sometimes. 

“If you’re just stringing Naruto along,” Sakura said, turning her body at last to look at him. “Then give him up.”

Sasuke froze for a second. A flare of irritation bloomed in his mind. “That’s none of your business. Stay out of it.”

He was about to sip his whisky when Sakura placed a hand on top of his glass, pushing his hand down until the glass settled back on the counter. She stared at him, her green eyes full of distaste and distrust. The irritation slowly bloomed into frustration. And then lingering anger of having to endure years of her disapproval fuelled his veins. 

“It is my business if my best friend ends up heart broken, asshole,” she spat out. 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her. “It’s been nine fucking years. Can you stop acting all righteous for once in your life?”

“Protecting my best friend from likes of you is my job,” Sakura hissed. “Naruto is a wonderful man. He doesn’t deserve someone like you to string him along and then dump him when an Omega walks into the picture.”

“I’m not leaving him,” Sasuke said, as calmly as he could. “There’s no Omega in my life.”

“Your True Pair says otherwise,” Sakura said. “Did you think Naruto would be okay with it? What are you even doing with him, Sasuke?”

He took her hand that was still on his glass and pulled it away. Tossing the offensive appendage to her lap, he took a sip of the whisky. Burning his throat. 

“You know,” Sasuke said. “It’s been nine years. You should really forget about your crush on Naruto and admit defeat.”

Her cheeks reddened and her green eyes widened in shock. “What?”

“That’s why you’re so against us right from the start,” Sasuke said, placing an arm on the bar. “I know you’re in love with Naruto. But he’s mine now. And whatever the fuck I do with him has nothing to do with you.”

Anger washed into those eyes before she grabbed his shirt. “I’m in love with Lee now, you asshole. Don’t try to change the subject.” After a beat, she let him go. “You know what he wants, don’t you?” 

Sasuke sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. He forgot that no matter how much he riled her up, she would always stand her ground and fight back a million times harder. It was an admirable trait. But, it still didn’t negate the fact that he didn’t like her. 

“I do,” Sasuke admitted. “He wants a family. Wants to be known as my lover.”

“You’ve proposed to him,” she said, pointing to his left hand that held their ring, “you brought him to your friends. And your family knows about him. Those all sound so wonderful, really.”

“What are you trying to say?” he asked, tiredly. 

“Where was all of this years ago?” Sakura said, bluntly. “Do you know how long he had to wait for all of this? What took you so long? Why now when your True Pair Omega walked into the picture? If you’re trying to string him along, so you could have him and that Omega, then you better let him go.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sasuke muttered. “Just stop.”

“I won’t,” Sakura said. “Because if Naruto have to end up as your fucking side piece while you parade around that Omega because you’ve finally found that piece to your whatever puzzle, then you can forget about having Naruto. I will not tolerate you playing around him. He’s better off alone—”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Sasuke snapped at her. “Don’t you think I know he can do better than me?”

“Then just go to your stupid Omega and leave him alone!” Sakura exclaimed. “Stop bringing his hopes up and make him wait again! I don’t need him to come crying to me when he sees you going to her when she goes into heat. Stop fooling him with your sudden ideas of wanting to marry him and doing everything he had always wanted while you made him wait for nine years!”

“I’m _scared_ , Sakura!” Sasuke yelled, startling her into silence. 

His eyes burned with unshed tears as he took in a gasp. Shudders ripped through his body as he slumped against the bar, his heart thundering against his chest with every word she had spouted. Pain coloured his mind with every single accusation. 

Because he _knew_. 

“I’m aware,” Sasuke whispered, voice shaking. “I know how shitty of a boyfriend I had been. I know I made him wait for so long. I know that…” He pressed both palms against his face as his mind clouded from the drinks. 

His instincts had been tearing a hole in his mind while the rational part of him had forced him to stay rooted. Every single part of him wanted to keel over and die. Every time he looked at Naruto, he felt a piece of him dying because his instincts suddenly wanted Kikio. Every time he held the Beta, had him underneath him, the bond that he didn’t want to admit told him that this wasn’t right. And that Kikio was waiting for him. 

But he didn’t want her.

He only wanted Naruto.

He only _needed_ him. 

He was nothing without his lover. 

No one else could compare. 

But he was being torn into a million pieces. He and Naruto were both suffering. And honestly, it wasn’t an issue Sasuke was suffering here. He would endure a million painful deaths if it guaranteed Naruto would be happy and safe. He would do _anything_ to keep Naruto next to him. 

“I’m scared,” Sasuke said. “I know I’ve made him wait too long. And it does look suspicious that I’m suddenly doing everything he has ever wanted now.” He dropped one shaking hand to grasp the cool glass of his whisky. “You can doubt me. But I had wanted to propose to him five years ago. I wanted to bring him to meet my family five years ago. Unforeseen circumstances came up and it would hurt Naruto if I brought him to my family then. I can’t subject him to my Father’s torments. Not until I can be sure I can bring him home and keep him safe and out of harm’s way.”

Sakura remained silent as she sipped on her drink. 

“I can’t lose him,” Sasuke said. “He’s my everything. I don’t want her or any other Omega in the world. It’s just my shitty luck that I had to meet my True Pair that time.”

“What are you going to do about her then?” Sakura said. “Does your instincts want her?”

“Of course it does,” Sasuke said with a bitter snort. “I hate it. I feel like I’m being torn apart. I can’t think straight and my chest aches. If I could silence my Alpha instincts, I would have done so.”

Sakura sighed. “I fought with Naruto because of you.”

Sasuke frowned, glancing at her through his wet eyes. 

“He trusts you, you know,” Sakura said. “A lot more than I could ever trust in anyone.”

Sasuke couldn’t help but to smile at that before it dimmed. “It’s hurting him. Every time the topic about that Omega comes up, it breaks him.”

“Of course it does,” she said. “Wouldn’t it break you if you’ve lived your whole life knowing that falling in love with an Alpha or an Omega would mean one day you have to let them go?”

“He doesn’t have to do anything,” Sasuke said. 

“But that’s not how society thinks,” Sakura said. “You don’t understand what Betas go through. We’ve been told since young that we’re not meant to mix around with the elites. Alphas and Omegas are in another lane, far different from us.” She sipped her drink again. “And Naruto’s a self-sacrificing idiot. He probably thinks this is your chance to finally be happy.”

“I _am_ happy,” Sasuke said, looking at her. 

“But he won’t know that, would he?” she said. “Not when everyone’s telling him you’ll be happier with someone who’s meant to be yours. Someone who was born just for you. I’ve been guilty of that.” She sighed, frowning. “Because let’s face it, Sasuke. This is the cruel world we live in. There’s no space for Betas among the elites. While people tolerate Alpha and Beta couples, they all expect that one day, it’ll come to an end. After all, an Alpha was either meant to be with an Omega or another Alpha. True Pairs are sacred. Bonds between True Pairs are beautiful. Gifted. Do you really think someone who could never experience any scent, bonds, heats, ruts—could really be considered fit for an Alpha?”

He frowned, letting that sink into his head. 

“At the end of the day,” Sakura said. “If you really care about Naruto’s happiness and truly do want to be with him despite the current problem, if you’re really serious, Sasuke…you need to quickly prove that to him. And I meant not just with engagements and whatever.”

“I’ll break the bond with her,” Sasuke said, stunning the green-eyed woman. “Because that’s how serious I am with him. I don’t want her. And I don’t need this.”

Sakura thinned her lips before she nodded once. “Then tell him that.”

“I will,” Sasuke said. “I don’t care if society decided it’s bad for us to be together. I don’t care if society says an Alpha has to be with their own league. At the end of the day, we’re all human. And the human side of me without this fucked up biology has already found my forever.” He tossed the remainders of his whisky into his mouth. “And if society deems that my bond with that Omega is precious, then I’ll break it and crush it into pieces.”

Sakura chuckled. “I still don’t like you but.”

“I’ll be good to him, Sakura,” Sasuke whispered. “He might not know it but he’s changed me. And I won’t let him sacrifice himself for me. Not again. Not anymore.”

“You better keep your word, Uchiha,” Sakura said as she stood up, paying the bill. “Because I’ll have your balls if you break them.”

***

It was frustrating, Sasuke wasn’t going to deny it. It was frustrating because he could feel Naruto slipping through his fingers. He had tried to give him time. He had gone out of his way to be bothersome, even, by clinging onto him. When he had blurted out at last that he wanted to break the bond, he expected Naruto to look relieved. 

But all he could do in return was him caring if Kikio had a choice in the matter. 

What the fuck did that matter?

She was a menace. A nuisance. He wanted her gone. He wanted to be able to think and love his partner without her in the way. 

He wished he could make Naruto see that he was worth it. That it was fine to put himself above everyone else for once. 

Because he _mattered_. His happiness mattered a lot more than anyone else’s. When he had let it slip that his instincts did want her, he expected the meltdown. He had expected Naruto to make up his mind and leave, thinking it would make him happier. But it only solidified Sasuke’s resolve to hold him down. To make him see that they wouldn’t end this way. Not now. Not after all of this. 

And he thought for just a while, he managed to get through his head that Sasuke wanted to end it with Kikio for good. Even though Naruto looked like he was worried for them both, especially for a nobody like the Omega, Sasuke was sure that everything would go back to normal once this procedure was done. 

But then clusterfuck happened. 

Kikio demanded something she had no right asking, even if he was her True Pair Alpha. Even after he had told her everything. Even when he had disclosed that secret of his that he couldn’t stand any Omegas in heat, she still didn’t want to let it go. And when Naruto had looked so crestfallen…so resigned, Sasuke knew that things were going to be blown out of proportion. 

That this was going to be one of their biggest fights. 

And it was. 

As he stared at his lover who was yelling at him, looking so desperate and upset, not because he didn’t trust the Alpha…but because he didn’t trust in himself enough to make him stay. And that he truly believed Kikio to be the one for him because some stupid biology said. The Alpha felt his own heart breaking. The further Naruto pushed him away, the more Sasuke wanted to stay. 

He wanted to stay. 

He wouldn’t bend to the will of his dumb biology or Naruto’s views. The society was fucked up enough as it was. He didn’t want to lose this. 

And Sasuke had wanted to keep his cool. He desperately did. But he couldn’t when every word out of Naruto’s mouth was like a knife piercing through his chest. Because the aftermath that was playing before him was due to him not acting fast enough to prove to Naruto he was _it_. He didn’t think about breaking the bond fast enough. And while he knew he blamed himself for the way Naruto viewed himself, he also knew it was the world’s fault for spouting nonsense in his lover’s ears. He would have gotten on his knees and begged him to listen if he hadn’t been so angry. 

“I keep seeing her in my mind. What am I supposed to do? What if you regret it?” Naruto looked like he was about to fold himself in. And Sasuke’s heart ached. 

“Regret what?” he hissed as anger clouded his vision. 

“Regret that you didn’t give her a chance!” Naruto yelled. “What if she’s the only Omega in the world who could get you and your Alpha instincts? What if she’s the only one whose heats you can stand?”

And what a fucking stupid idea that had been implanted in his lover’s head. 

But what truly broke Sasuke’s anger into just pure agony was when Naruto whispered, barely able to keep his voice stable: “What right do I have to stand in between you and her if it’s meant to be?”

_Meant to be._

_“While people tolerate Alpha and Beta couples, they all expect that one day, it’ll come to an end. Do you really think someone who could never experience any scent, bonds, heats, ruts—could really be considered fit for an Alpha?”_

That was the problem. Everyone thought he and Kikio were meant to be. Because his biology decided it. Because _society_ decided it. Because that was how the world worked and he was supposed to sit still and let it happen to him. To them. 

And because he had been so angry at everything, he had been in so much pain, he said the last thing he ever wanted to say, “If that’s what you want, I’ll spend the heat with her. Don’t regret if something does happen.”

The second he stormed out of their house, his knees buckled and he took in a shuddering deep breath, one palm against the wall. His eyes filled with tears and they slid down his face. Emotions filled up his mind and regret accompanied it. He didn’t mean it. 

And he wanted to run in there. He wanted to hug Naruto and tell him that he didn’t mean it. 

But he didn't know what else to say right now. He didn’t know how else to tell him that he loved him. That no biology could ever decide for him. His head hurt and his chest was tight. He wanted to be able to breathe again and fill his lungs with the scent of ramen and laundry detergent. 

He just wanted his life back. 

As he forced his body to move, he reached for his phone and called the only person he could rely on besides Naruto. 

“You’re calling me this sudden must mean something happened, little brother,” Itachi’s voice resounded, calm. 

And Sasuke sobbed as he walked into the elevators. “I—I need a place to stay. Please.”

Itachi remained quiet before he said, “Come over.”

***

Itachi pressed a damp cloth over his puffy eyes as he sat on his couch, head leaned against the cushions. Sasuke sighed, pressing the cloth properly against his face before he pulled it away, draping it over his neck instead as he stared into the dark eyes that belonged to his older brother. 

“What happened?” Itachi asked as he stood in front of him. 

Sasuke wanted to cry again. He took the damp cloth and handed it over to his older brother. 

“I met my True Pair Omega,” he croaked, his voice rough from all the crying he did. 

“I’m aware of the news,” Itachi said, lifting one eyebrow. “Heard it from Katsuki-san himself when I went to check on the shareholders.”

Sasuke thinned his lips. “I don’t want her.”

“I’m also aware of that,” Itachi said as he moved to sit in one of the armchairs, placing the damp cloth on the coffee table, folded neatly. “I’m assuming the reason you’re in my house in this state is because Naruto did not take to the news kindly?”

“Kindly?” Sasuke muttered. “He knew from the very beginning. I didn’t hide it from him. It’s just been…hard.”

Itachi hummed. “Tell me, little brother. Did you and Naruto break up?”

Sasuke snapped his head to look at him. His heart squeezed in his chest. Break up. Had they broken up? He sighed again, running his fingers through his hair. 

“No,” Sasuke said. “We didn’t. At least, I’m not planning to.”

Itachi didn’t ask another question but Sasuke knew he was waiting for him to spill what happened. He just wasn’t sure where to start. 

“It’s always been going downhill, I guess,” Sasuke said. “Ever since he found out about Kikio. He thinks if he gives me up, I’ll be happier with her. Because my biology said so. And I’ve…I’m running out of all the ways to tell him that that won’t be the case.” He rubbed a hand down his face. “I had my bond dissolving appointment this morning. Kikio showed up with her father and demanded that I spend one heat with her before letting her go.” 

Itachi frowned for a brief moment. And then his eyes lit up like he had connected the dots. “Naruto told you to do it.”

“That idiot,” Sasuke muttered. “You should’ve seen his face when she pulled that shameless act. He looked so…tired. Heartbroken. He just looked at me like I was gone.”

“Isn’t that good?” Itachi said, catching Sasuke’s attention. “Hasn’t it gone long enough? You and him? Now that you’ve found your Omega, shouldn’t you choose the right path?”

Sasuke stood up, he knew his eyes would’ve flashed in red as anger surged through him. “I didn’t come here to hear my brother tell me the same shite that has been spouted at me and Naruto since this fucking started. If that’s how you think, then consider we’re done.”

“Sit down,” Itachi said when Sasuke made a move to leave. “Sit down. That’s not what I meant.”

Sasuke eyed his brother before he sat down. “What did you mean then? And save me the mind games. My head already hurts.”

Itachi smiled a little before they dimmed. “Do you know why most Alpha-Beta couples break up?”

Sasuke frowned. “Because society forced them to?”

“Because society forced them to,” Itachi said with a sigh. “You want to marry, Naruto, yes?” he said pointing to the ring on Sasuke’s hand. “Then know that you’ll be on a path that goes against majority of the society. It won’t be easy.” He leaned on his knees. “It certainly won’t be easy to even reach there.”

Sasuke stared at his brother’s face, letting that sink into his head. “I know it would be hard,” he said. “I know if I chose what society wanted, I wouldn’t have such a hard time. I know.”

“But you never liked easy,” Itachi said, reading his mind. “And you can’t let him go.”

“I can’t, Itachi,” Sasuke said as he looked at the ring. “I told you when I was seventeen. And I’m saying it again. He’s it for me. If I could change anything, it would be everything in my life but him.”

“Father would certainly be less overbearing,” Itachi said. “An Omega of her status being mated to my brother.”

Sasuke snorted. “Even more reasons to go against society.”

“And what about biology?” Itachi questioned. “I know how it feels to be away from your True Pair.”

“It’s tearing my head apart,” Sasuke admitted. “My instincts want her. But my person…me just wants him. And I care more about me than my instincts.”

“Naruto is an idiot,” Itachi said. “But you know that already.”

“He has his own insecurities,” Sasuke said, defending his lover. “But I wouldn’t have him any other way. I’ll fight for him. I’ve kept him waiting for too long. If I let him push me away, he would break. I would break too.”

Itachi smiled, leaning into the armchair. “Give him time, little brother. Let him stew in his thoughts.”

Sasuke nodded. “Meanwhile,” he said as he twirled his ring. “I need to talk to Kikio and make her forget me.”

“When are you meeting her?”

“This weekend,” Sasuke said without hesitation as his eyes narrowed. He clenched his hand. “And whether she agrees or not, we’re ending this, once and for all.”

***

“What?” Kikio’s voice echoed from the other side of the call. “You want to meet me this Saturday?”

“Yes,” Sasuke said. “We need to talk.”

She didn’t say anything for a while before she said, “Alright. I’ll let the lobby know you’re coming to my place.”

“No,” Sasuke said. “We meet in a neutral place.”

“No,” Kikio said. “If you’re going to break my heart, at least let me be in a safe environment.”

Sasuke sighed. “Fine, whatever. Text me the address. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Before she could say anything else, he ended the call and tossed it on the guest room bed. He lay on the mattress, a hand over his head as he looked at the ceiling. He wondered what Naruto must be doing right now. Was he eating alright? Was he crying to sleep? 

Would he answer if Sasuke called right now?

Would he beg him back if the Alpha promised to listen to him?

He didn’t know. But he didn’t want to act out on any of that. If he wanted to properly look at the Beta in his eyes, he needed to do this and clear out this mess. He picked up his phone and opened the gallery, his eyes scanning through the pictures of them. One by one, pictures they had taken together appeared. And he stopped at one. 

It was a picture taken by one of Naruto’s friends during his birthday. Sasuke had been sitting next to him, smiling while Naruto was laughing over his cake, wearing an ugly birthday hat. It was a surprise and Sasuke had gritted his teeth dealing with Kiba’s stupidity and Sakura’s glares to create this birthday party. It was worth it. 

Every second of it. 

As he dropped the phone on his chest, he took in a deep breath as he felt like crying again.

***

Kikio was the lowest human being on this planet, Sasuke decided. 

The second he stepped into her apartment, with all intention to speak to her about the bond dissolving process, he was assaulted with the smell of sugar and sweet. It was over the top to the point it made him want to run out of the place to throw up. When she staggered close to him from her bedroom, cheeks flushed, when she tried to touch him, Sasuke had hissed at her, his eyes most likely bleeding in red. 

She was stunned, standing there. 

“What the fuck is this?” Sasuke said. 

Kikio frowned. “What’s what?”

“Stop playing dumb,” Sasuke said as he physically started feeling sick. “This scent. Are you in heat?”

Kikio’s cheeks flushed further, confirming his theory. “No. This is just my natural scent.”

Sasuke didn’t buy it. “You didn’t smell this strongly before.”

She stared at him for a few seconds before she said, “Alright, fine. I’m supposed to be in preheat in the next thirty hours but I’m still sober and clean right now.” And then she took a step closer to him. “But, Uchiha-san, remember our deal? You said you would try one heat with me. I’m sure I can be good to you. Let’s forget about breaking the bond and stay with me.”

There was no fucking deal. He remembered her saying that and ruining Naruto’s confidence and that was it. 

“Stay away,” he said, the Alpha command slipping into his tone without meaning to. 

He had never used his command before in his life. He supposed there was a first time for everything. Especially right now.

And she froze, her eyes filled with tears when he took a few steps back, disgusted. “I thought…,” she said. “I thought—”

“Are you fucking dumb?” Sasuke said. “I only came here to discuss about the bond dissolving and the shite you said that day. You had no right to make my mate feel that way about this. You had no right doing this.”

She frowned. “I have every right to challenge the one who took my Alpha away!”

“I’m not your Alpha!” Sasuke yelled. 

“The bond says otherwise!” Kikio argued. “He’s just a stupid Beta!”

“If you open your goddamn mouth to insult him one more time,” Sasuke said, shutting her up. “I don’t want you. Get that through your thick head. You may be an Omega from a good family, but it doesn’t mean I have to bend to your every whim. True Pair or not.”

Tears ran down her face. “What does he have that I don’t? I would do anything for you! We’re meant to be!”

“Maybe I’m tired of being told that that everything’s preplanned and I should follow that without questioning!” Sasuke stressed out. “Maybe I have my own free will and nobody but him saw that. He’s my whole world. And not even biology could take that away from me.”

Kikio’s bottom lip wobbled. “I could love you so much more. I always dreamt of meeting the one made for me.”

“I hate your scent,” Sasuke said, bluntly. “I hate everything about you. And it’s not fair. What you’re doing to me is _not_ fair. I love him, Kikio. And I’ll always love him. Even now, looking at you is making me ill. And I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry I’m not the Alpha you thought I was. And I don’t want that either. Let me go. Don’t make me beg.”

She looked stricken. “You would beg to end it with me…just for your Beta?”

“I would do _anything_ for him,” Sasuke said. “I don’t react to Omega heats or scents well. Yours included. You wanted to spend one heat with me but I can’t do that. I want to dissolve this bond. I’ll make the appointment the second your heat is over.”

When she made a move to grab his arm as he turned to leave, he pulled it away from her. She burst out crying as he walked out, calling for him. Yelling for him. But he only found himself running away from there, heart thundering against his chest. 

The next destination in his mind was to go see Naruto. He didn’t care if the Beta was about to push him away again. He wanted to hold him tight once more. And just like that, as if his wish came true, there was Naruto. Standing before him looking tired, and sad, wearing his hoodie. 

And immediately, all the hurt he had felt died. Disappeared. 

He wanted to run up to him and hug him. Sasuke wondered just for a brief moment why he was here in front of Kikio’s apartment complex but when Naruto asked him to stay, to speak to him—he knew then it was because the Beta came from him. 

He would question how he knew he would be here at this point in time, but he could guess it was Itachi’s doing. He probably had meddled and said something to really get the Beta after him. But…he couldn’t help but be thankful that Naruto did come after him. 

That he hadn’t lost him. 

As he listened to his lover’s woes, his fears, his insecurities, it hurt him again. It reminded him again the cruel world they were in. But as Naruto cried, he vowed that this was the last time he would make him feel this way. 

“The longer I’m with you, the less I started to remember that I’m just a Beta. And I was happy. Even if you didn’t want to marry me yet, I was confident one day you would become mine. But there’s always these scary thoughts that you would leave me. That you were waiting for someone better to come around. And she was the picture I painted in my head. It was like a slap to my face. Naruto, the weird mix of a Beta and an Omega, is never going to be good enough.” Naruto had said. 

And Sasuke disagreed with everything about the way he viewed himself. 

Why couldn’t he see just how beautiful he was? How strong he had been?

How selfless he had tried to be?

If the tables were turned, Sasuke wasn’t sure if he could ever walk away from the relationship if Naruto found his True Pair. He would probably cling tighter. Maybe even be petty and try to ruin it for the other party. Anything to get him to stay. 

And yet, Naruto…he had done something else. He had abandoned his own happiness in hopes that Sasuke was happy. 

There wasn’t anyone like him. And Sasuke loved him with all his heart. And more. 

“Because what if she’s the one and I took that away from you? That happiness?” the Beta had said then and Sasuke found the urge to vehemently stop his self-depreciating talk. 

But he wanted to let Naruto speak everything. He needed to know what else ran through his brain. He had to. So he could crush all those insecurities until Naruto would be left believing everything between them was real. 

“When she went on her knees and begged for you, it made me see where I stood in the eyes of everyone. I got scared. I felt like a thief. I felt guilty for having her to fight for someone who was meant to be hers. I felt guilty for stopping you from someone who can be better for you than me.” Naruto took in a deep breath. “Itachi came to see me and told me that you…always wanted me since we were seventeen. That I made you feel more than just a man with a knot. More than who your family made you out to be. And I…hurt you by treating you the same as them because of my fears.”

That was when he couldn’t hold back the steady pain in his chest and the way his eyes became wet. 

“You hurt me a lot,” Sasuke whispered. “I gave you my heart and shared with you every inch of me. But you kept hiding from me ever since she walked into our lives. And I don’t know what to do anymore to make you see that I feel…useless. Useless at proving to you that you meant the whole world to me.”

“I’m sorry, Sasuke,” Naruto said, desperation colouring his voice. “You’re my best friend. You’re my everything. You’re my family. I just wanted the best for you but I didn’t think for one-second I’d have hurt you this much.”

Sasuke forced the words he had been holding back to leave his mouth. He needed Naruto to know this. “Every time you look at me like I deserve better,” Sasuke said, his voice shaking. “Every single time you make self-depreciating jokes about yourself, it makes me sad. It makes me mad. Because how could you even think that of yourself? You’re the one who changed me to the man I am today. I know I can be hard to deal with…but you were the only one who could take care of me even on my worst days.”

Naruto bowed his head and his shoulders shook as tears streamed down his face. He tightened his touch on Sasuke’s hand. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

“It’s partially my fault too,” Sasuke whispered, finally touching Naruto’s head as he patted him. “I made you wait for too long to prove to you that I want you as my forever. I made you think you weren’t good enough. It wasn’t enough for me to think how lucky I am to have you in my life. I should’ve shown it to you. ”

Because it was. If he had been more upfront of how much Naruto meant to him, they wouldn’t be here. Not in this way. He hugged him then as he promised his lover that he would never make him feel that way again. Sasuke would throw away his pride even to get his lover to believe his own worth. When he had told him that he didn’t react to her scent while she had been in preheat, he watched relief spread on his lover’s face. And that was enough. Enough to know that Naruto regretted what he said and they had to put this past them. 

They had to communicate better. Sasuke had to. Naruto had to. 

His heart tightened and his body trembled as he finally got Naruto where he wanted him. As he brought them both home, back to their place they had built from scratch, as he pressed his lips against those softer ones, he told his instincts to shove it. His mind was clear for the first time in weeks since this mess started. 

As he held him tight while he spoke of promises of breaking the bond and wanting to get married, he felt his heart mending. And he felt them mending too. He hadn’t been able to be at ease these past few days but now. Now, he could. They still had other things to worry about but as Sasuke pressed his lover on the bed, as he hovered above him mapping his face, he was glad he was able to have this again. 

As Naruto touched his face and caressed his cheeks, as his face reddened and his body trembled with every touch on his naked skin, Sasuke vowed to keep this with him as long as he could. He wouldn’t let this go. 

And as he kissed him one last time before he completely devoured his blond, he promised to always let Naruto know how much he was treasured. 

And in return, Naruto had made the same promises. Had whispered his love against his neck as his legs wrapped around his waist. 

“I love you,” Naruto said as he dug his nails into his back, his cheeks red and his lips swollen, hair disarray on the pillow. “And I’m never letting you go.”

“Ditto, idiot,” Sasuke smiled, heart becoming full again.

***

When the bond was broken between him and Kikio, there was clarity in his mind. He woke up one morning, a day after the seven week period after the bond dissolving process, feeling light. Like he could think a million things and not have parts of him torn in different directions. Best of all, he could think of Naruto and not feel anything else but rightness. And love. When he turned to his right, to see the said person, he frowned when he was met with an empty space. Immediately, he got out of bed and walked out of the bedroom, his heart squeezing in his chest as he saw Naruto reading a recipe book while trying to make— _something_ in the kitchen. 

He watched how the blond-haired man frowned a few times as he poked his spatula against a burned pancake. Or the Alpha assumed it was a pancake. He remembered their conversation in the car as they left the hospital. About how Naruto wanted to meet his parents in two days time and the prospect of children. His body moved without thinking much and he wrapped his arms around the waist, startling the Beta. 

“Oi,” Naruto complained as Sasuke pressed himself closer against the blond. “I’m trying to make you breakfast, bastard.”

Sasuke would’ve returned the jab on any day. But today, he couldn’t contain his excitement. So, he said, “The bond’s gone.”

Naruto froze in his arms before he turned around, eyes wide. Sasuke saw the hope in them and he couldn’t help but to flick his forehead. The Beta flinched, rubbing that area, but the hope in those eyes didn't disappear. 

Almost as if he was scared to jinx it, Naruto said, “ _Gone_ gone?”

Sasuke smiled, a bit too softly. But he couldn’t help but to adore his lover. While they had decided to push that incident away, it didn’t mean Naruto had immediately trusted himself to be worth it. It would be a long process but one Sasuke was determined to see it work. He pressed his lips in between those eyebrows. 

“Yeah,” Sasuke said as he looked into the blue eyes. “It’s gone. For good.”

Naruto smiled, but it was accompanied by teary eyes. “How do you feel?”

“Wonderful,” Sasuke said as he pressed a hand on the tan skin. “So wonderful that I can’t wait to bond with you.”

It was then Naruto’s eyes shimmered in happiness and he hugged him tight. Sasuke wrapped his arms around the Beta and held him closer than before. The warmth that covered him was enough for him to know that yeah, this was his forever. 

“I love you,” Naruto whispered against the crook of his neck. 

And Sasuke didn’t hesitate to say, “I love you too.”

They still had Sasuke’s parents to get through. But that could wait. For now, he would have this quiet moment with a peace of mind with his lover. With a happy heart, he finally took the jab on Naruto’s cooking like he had been dying to. 

“Seriously though,” Sasuke said against Naruto’s head. “Just what the hell are you trying to make? Poison?”

Naruto immediately pulled away to glare at him. “Don’t be so rude, jerk!”

Sasuke smirked. “Then cook something edible.”

While the Beta bitched about how he could cook more than just instant noodles like Sasuke thought he did, he couldn’t help but to feel this was right. Everything was right again. 

Just like how it should be. 

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Voila, the enddd. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this. I tried, lmao. As you can tell, there's still some unanswered questions like his family and whatnot. But I deliberately left it open just in case I want to write more and turn this into a series. Maybe. We'll see how well people like this first haha. Thank you for reading this and spending some time checking out what I wrote <3


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